


Shedding Skins

by Eustacia Vye (eustaciavye)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Dreamwalking, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-17
Updated: 2012-07-26
Packaged: 2017-11-10 03:16:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/461635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eustaciavye/pseuds/Eustacia%20Vye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shi An Rui and Mei Ai Ren each had expected to lead ordinary lives. The spirits had other plans, as accidents and chance meetings change everything. Sometimes fire and water <i>do</i> mix.</p><p> </p><p>For the prompt <a href="http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/18462.html?thread=42177566#t42177566">He's Fire Nation, and she's Water Tribe. Everyone is supposed to be getting along now, but it's still seen as taboo. Bonus points: For working the rest of the team in to the story.</a>  Warnings for violence, allusions to past rape and wartime mindfuckery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Accidental Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fusion of Inception with Avatar: The Last Airbender, which borrows heavily from various Far Eastern traditions. The different nations of the Avatar universe were modeled on different cultures. I renamed the Inception cast to blend in the Avatar universe. Saito's name obviously doesn't need to change, and I didn't change Yusuf's. Here are the names I use in this story: Arthur is Shi An Rui, Eames is Tu, Ariadne is Mei Ai Ren, Dominic Cobb is Song Du Man, Mallorie Cobb is Song Mai Liu, Nash is Niu, Cobol is Ko Bal, Robert Fischer is Feng Rui Bang, Maurice Fischer is Feng Mu Rui and Peter Browning is Bai Bao Tien.

Báo chết để da, người ta chết để tiếng.  
A panther when dead leaves behind a skin, a man when dead leaves behind a reputation.  
Vietnamese proverb

The outpost near the Northern Water Tribe was full of soldiers that all had one thing in common: they felt this was exile and resented it mightily. They couldn't express that openly, of course. They were still loyal to the Fire Nation and the Fire Lord, and at least peacetime meant that the garrison was more likely to actually reach old age. The treaties between all of the nations also meant that the Northern Water Tribe healers were available to heal the Fire Nation soldiers whenever they were injured, whether it was during training exercises or the assistance given to rebuild the capital city of the tribe.

Specialist Shi An Rui had been conscripted into the army as a child. He had limited fire bending skill, but it had been enough to keep him from being assigned to the common foot soldier role. As a specialist, his role was to generate the fire balls or fire lines used in attacks, and he was first in line behind the foot soldiers. An Rui hadn't initially thought he would enjoy military life, but there was something about the order and structure that appealed to him. Living in the outer colonies of the Fire Nation could be a hardscrabble life, and his parents had always seemed so worn and thin from worry and hard work. Tilling rocky soil for meager harvests had taken their toll, and they had always seemed so much older than their age. His younger sister had barely been marriageable age when she was given to their neighbor's son as a wife; she died birthing her third son while An Rui was assigned to a company in the Earth Kingdom, and he hadn't been allowed to go to her funeral. It still stung if he allowed himself to think about it.

But other than this one blemish, which really could be laid at the feet of his superior officers at the time, An Rui did enjoy the regimented role he had. His prior company had suffered heavy losses following battle, and he had been severely wounded by an earth bender's attack. After his sojourn in one of the Fire Nation medical camps, An Rui was reassigned to General Saito's company. The war ended soon after, and General Saito was charged with assisting the Northern Water Tribe recover from General Zhao's attacks. General Ko Bal had been watching over the territory during the course of the war, and no longer wanted to be in the isolated area.

An Rui didn't mind the isolation. His only complaint in General Saito's company was that he was always partnered with Specialist Niu, who had remained from General Ko Bal's company in the north. He had sloppy form and tended to take shortcuts whenever possible. An Rui was thankful they weren't in battle; Niu otherwise might have led to friendly fire and damage to their own ranks. He was irreverent and didn't follow the military code as strictly as An Rui did.

On this particular day, they were running through basic forms and drills to stay in practice. An Rui enjoyed the practice, which was generally done for three or four hours every other day. It was meditative, and moving through the katas helped him forget the mistrustful gazes of the water tribe people. Oh, some of them seemed to be willing enough to accept the peace of the current times, but some liked to needle the army privates and specialists because they knew there would be no repercussions. An Rui had been pelted with slush balls and snow mixed with animal refuse on several occasions, and relied heavily on his training to keep his temper in check. He wasn't the one that had helped destroy their city, and it was hard to remind himself that they had been victims of the war. He tried to hold to his military stance, though he sometimes daydreamed about letting fire balls loose on some of the citizens that attacked him.

Nui had no such compunctions about acting on his impulses. It netted him dressings down and threats of demotion, but Nui generally sneered at the discipline. He knew he would never be demoted below specialist due to his fire bending skill.

"You kiss such ass," Nui complained to An Rui, who had volunteered to lead the day's drills. "Do you really think Captain Song will ever really promote you? There's no war to fight. There's no reason to care anymore."

"This is what we are supposed to do," An Rui replied, moving effortlessly from one kata to the next. His breathing was even, mind clear. "It is our place in the Fire Nation." He didn't say that here he was fed, here he had a sense of purpose beyond survival. Nui didn't need to know that and likely wouldn't understand it anyway.

Moving through a much sloppier version of the same kata An Rui was doing, Nui merely laughed derisively and turned to the other specialists in the line. "Can you believe this guy? He actually believes all that rot."

An Rui ignored the bemused and indifferent titters from the rest of the company. He was an idealist in some ways, he knew, but in others he was definitely a pragmatist. He knew what it was like to die slowly of starvation, to live with the empty promise of endless days of nothing to hope for. He never railed against his conscription the way these men had, because it was better than the life he was forced to give up.

He was nearing the end of the warm up and starting to move into the basic fire bending forms, moving with his usual spare efficiency. Nui took the turn too wide and started the forward motion of his closed fist before he was completely facing forward. This normally wouldn't be that big a deal, except his eyes were on a female specialist in the line. Wanting to impress her, he started his fire too early. It flared too bright for the simple training exercise, and sparks flew from his fingers when he opened his hands too soon. Kagero's eyes widened in horror at Nui, the only clue he had that something was going wrong before clouds of steam erupted from the walls and floor of the training arena.

An Rui never saw it coming.

***

The world was a whiteout of pain and misery. This was bone deep, searing his soul and binding it to his flesh in a way An Rui hadn't even experienced with his prior injuries. He might have screamed in agony. He might have pleaded to simply die, to let the pain _stop,_ please let the Fire Sages or the river spirits take him...

"Sh..." came a soft voice. A cool hand touched his brow and some of the pain receded. "You're okay." It was a woman's voice, the hands small but sure and talented. "You're okay," she repeated. He couldn't even open his eyes, but felt himself relaxing into her touch, nearly sobbing in relief as the pain ebbed.

"Am I going to die?" An Rui whispered in a voice that still scraped at his raw throat.

"No," came the woman's voice. She sounded very far away, as if through a tunnel. "You'll live."

He was dreaming, then. Perhaps he was walking in the spirit world, where everything would change and warp around him. He dimly remembered the clouds of steam, the sensation of being boiled alive.

An Rui smiled in the direction of the soft feminine voice. It built up confidence, and had to be the voice of a spirit. If he was dead and walking a dream path, he didn't mind listening to her voice at all.

It lulled him to fevered sleep.

***

An Rui came to in the middle of the infirmary, soaked bandages everywhere. Though there should have been a chill coming from the ice block walls, the room and the water were warm. It felt almost tropical, as if he was back in the equatorial village he had been born in. he was almost tempted to get up, assess the infirmary for entry and exit points and try to develop some sort of tactical position to keep himself from becoming further injured.

Then his memory came back, and he remembered that the war was over. He had been severely injured during training exercises because of Nui's stupidity and recklessness. He was unable to pay attention to details, and that minor detail in the timing of his flames nearly cost An Rui his life. Well, An Rui never considered that a minor detail, but he knew Nui often referred to precision timing as a minor detail.

He took stock of his physical injuries, moving his arms gingerly. He could feel everything, which surprised him. He would have expected thick scar tissue and dead muscle, blackened and blistered flesh cleaving tightly to withered bone. Instead, his arms looked hale and whole as they usually did, his torso still the same proportions and muscle tone that he remembered. Frowning, An Rui tested his fingers. They moved exactly as he wanted them to, and he was able to tap out a complicated rhythm that he had heard at various fire festivals when on leave. He didn't doubt that he could still wield a sword, make a fist or generate fire.

What in the world had happened?

A young woman in water tribe blue carrying a bowl of water entered the infirmary. She paused when she saw he was awake, but then continued into the infirmary with her head held high. "I see you have awakened. You have a very strong constitution."

An Rui was surprised to hear the familiar voice from his fevered dreams. "I thought you were a spirit," he said, watching as she approached with the water. "I thought I was in the Spirit Realm."

"I know," she said softly. "You spoke of it often enough during the first healing sessions."

"Sessions?" he echoed softly. He had no idea what water tribe healing might entail, but knew that Fire Nation medics often used potions, poultices and bone setting techniques. It had taken time for his prior injuries to heal, but he had only seen the medic three times for evaluations.

She set the bowl down and eyed him warily. She had wavy brown hair pinned back from her face and a somewhat lighter skin tone than other water tribesmen that An Rui had seen. The most shocking thing about her was her golden eyes. Water tribe people tended to have blue eyes, possibly because of their alignment with water. An Rui knew that Earth Kingdom people tended to have green, brown or gray eyes, and Fire Nation people had golden eyes. He wanted to ask why she would have golden eyes like a Fire Nation girl, but held his tongue. There were some things he knew he had no right to ask.

"You aren't making any crass comments," she remarked.

"It would not be proper," An Rui replied. He struggled to give her a formal nod, but couldn't do it. With a sigh, he attempted to move his hands into position. "I thank you for your aid in keeping me from entering the Spirit World. If there is a way to repay this kindness—"

"Don't thank me," she said sharply. Her hands moved deftly over the bandages, removing them and revealing the puckered and raw looking skin beneath them.

"But—"

He was interrupted again by the door opening. An older woman with white hair entered the room with another bowl similar to the one the nameless girl had been holding. "You haven't started yet, Ai Ren," the woman scolded. "There could be scarring and loss of function if you aren't promptly changing those bandages. His core temperature is too hot and any significant scarring will block his chi."

The younger woman ducked her head, acknowledging the comment. "Yes, Yugota." She briskly took away the rest of the bandages, not flinching but not looking at the skin exposed at his nether regions. She put her hands into the bowl and after a moment lifted them up. There was a coating of water around her hands, and there was a faint iridescent glow. An Rui sucked in a shocked breath as Ai Ren's cool hands descended onto his chest. Yugota made a similar motion, though the glow on her hands was brighter. She addressed An Rui's legs and nether regions, smiling gently at his discomfort. The searing pain was gone now, and he was left with the sensation of heat and stretching in his skin. Fascinated, he watched them hold their water-covered hands over his burned flesh. Ai Ren had to keep her eyes closed as she focused on her healing bending, as if she had to dream of intact flesh. Yugota had her eyes open, assessing their combined efforts to see if it was helpful.

An Rui could see mild improvement in the state of his burns by the end of the session. Ai Ren looked exhausted, Yugota much less so. Now he could understand why she had said "sessions" about the healing efforts.

"You're coming along nicely," Yugota told An Rui. She turned to Ai Ren with a much warmer smile. "You're able to hold the patterns for much longer now. These weeks have been most beneficial for your training, my dear."

"Weeks?" An Rui asked, startled.

Both women turned to look at him. "Has no one visited you or spoken of your situation?" Yugota asked, brows furrowing in concern.

"No," An Rui said. He held himself very still. "I was not close with others in the company," he admitted after a moment, when it seemed that Yugota expected him to speak. "Some called me too dedicated, too much like a machine."

Yugota humphed and shook her head as she picked up the two bowls. "Machines do not burn and melt under steam, or scream or plead for suffering to end." She didn't seem to notice An Rui's discomfort at her words, as she was looking at Ai Ren. "Tell him all he has missed, Ai Ren. I will let his General and our Chief know he is fully awake again."

Ai Ren nodded, though An Rui could see there was tension in her spine. He waited until Yugota left the little room. "If I had offended you in some way during my fever dreams, I do apologize," he began in formal speech.

She blew out a breath and shook her head. "You have not. You were close to death for a long time, and became something of a class project."

"Class project?" he echoed, feeling out of his depth. He had never learned much about water tribe culture, as it had never been relevant before.

"Our unit of healers had practice in restoring the health of your body and lines of chi," Ai Ren explained. She had the air of impatience about her, as if she didn't understand why he couldn't comprehend the concept. "As the most advanced in the class, once the chi could flow, I was in charge of maintaining them and reducing the scarring." Now her lips twisted in distaste. "I was supposed to help build in the tundra today. Instead, I am to discuss current events."

Ah. It wasn't personal then. He could live with that. "Your teacher said it was weeks."

Ai Ren nodded. "We all had to work together in the first week to stabilize you. There were many times I thought you would die, but your strength of will must be great."

"I have been accused of that. Mostly when leading the others through practice drills and insisting on proper form and safety," An Rui admitted ruefully. "It didn't help me on that day."

"No," she agreed, lips turning down thoughtfully. "What do you remember?"

An Rui remembered Nui being a complete and utter idiot, losing control of his fire in the middle of the practice arena, flash melting the ice into steam. He remembered the pain, the agony and knowledge that he should be dead. His lips compressed into a thin line as he took in Ai Ren's heart shaped face and golden eyes. She looked so young, even if she must have been only a few years younger than he was. War could age a man just as surely as starvation could. "I remember it all," he said, voice growing hoarse with pain. "I wish I did not."

There was compassion in her expression now, and he supposed that she had to normally be a kindhearted soul. She was a healer, after all; An Rui supposed that she had been suspicious of him due to the fact that he was a Fire Nation soldier. As much as they were supposed to cooperate now that the war is over, it was still somewhat taboo for the people of the two nations to really associate with each other.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, looking as though she meant it.

"You didn't burn me," An Rui remarked, shaking his head. "You don't have to be sorry. Nui is the one that should apologize to me."

Ai Ren's face froze infinitesimally, and An Rui's eyes locked to hers. "What is it?" he asked when she hesitated. "Tell me, please. Nothing could possibly hurt worse than being boiled alive because of an accident."

She went ghostly pale, then nodded slowly. "He was turned over to military justice," she said slowly. "In front of all the company from what was told. I heard there was an argument between the Generals..."

An Rui frowned. "There should only be General Saito here."

Ai Ren shook her head. "General Ko Bal returned." Her mouth took on an almost pinched twist, and An Rui was rapidly discovering that it was her displeased expression. It wasn't quite like biting into a sour melonberry, but it was probably close. "General Saito planned to make an example of Nui, sentence him to solitary hard labor."

By the way she abruptly stopped speaking, An Rui could tell that something very wrong had happened instead. "What was it?" he asked gently. "What happened?"

"Nui was burned alive," she said quietly. "They made us all watch, even the Northern Water Tribe members. General Ko Bal said that no one could get away with dishonoring or maiming the Fire Nation, not even a Fire Nation citizen."

An Rui sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'd heard of that General. Poor Nui..."

"There were three others that also suffered for Nui's mistake," Ai Ren told him, hands caught in the skirt of her blue clothing. "You're the only survivor."

And apparently, that had been a near thing.

An Rui forced himself to breathe evenly, though something in him wanted to break things until the shattered fragments were dust. It was stupid and senseless, and the war was _over_ now, the death should be done...

"I didn't think you would believe in peace," Ai Ren said quietly. An Rui had apparently been voicing his dismay aloud, and now he fell into true silence. "I thought all Fire Nation were only interested in war and causing pain."

An Rui looked at her in confusion. "Why would you think that? I know there was the siege last winter, but it was under orders. General Zhao had said that there were riches being held in the capital, enemies of the Fire Nation in hiding and the key to ending the war was here. I heard the reports while I was recovering from my other wounds." He shook his head and winced when the room swam a bit. "There shouldn't be joy in the suffering of others. The pains were unavoidable, but we followed our orders and did our duty." He paused, considering Nui and some of the men he had seen in the past. "Most of us did our duty."

Her golden eyes were sharp as she contemplated his face. "You're different. You don't take pride in the harm that came to the city."

"It must have been beautiful," he murmured, eyes closing shut. "I am nothing of a builder, but I can appreciate what I see. It must have been amazing to live here. There's nothing like this city in any of the Fire Nation outposts or central zones."

Ai Ren abruptly stood, disconcerted by the open way he was speaking with her. He wasn't what she thought he would be, and it upended her entire world. "I have further training to undergo."

An Rui waved her off with a tired nod. "I will sleep. Thank you again for the aid, Ai Ren."

Her name on his lips made her shiver, though she couldn't have said why. His eyes followed her as he left the infirmary, but it didn't feel uncomfortable or overly lecherous. Ai Ren felt almost relaxed in his presence, and it wasn't until she had reached the outer gates of the city that she was able to place why it was.

There was respect in his tone when he spoke with her, as if she was every bit an equal. She wasn't looked down on for her gender, or told that her bending skills only qualified her for medical training. There were no curt words about her ancestry, no questing hands looking to sample what would not be freely given. An Rui was a man that believed in ideals and actually put in the hard work to make them happen. He _liked_ complicated situations and imposing order on them. He liked making sense of the impossible.

It was odd to think of Fire Nation soldiers as people. She was too used to thinking of them as the faceless enemy.

Over the next several days, Ai Ren was placed in charge of An Rui's care. Yugota told Ai Ren that she was the most skilled of her class, and An Rui seemed to appreciate her presence more than the other students. Ai Ren uncharitably thought that Yugota was playing matchmaker without training, but didn't voice her comment. With her golden eyes and questionable parentage that everyone knew of but would never talk about, Ai Ren knew her options were limited, even with her bending skill. It was an old hurt, and it wasn't An Rui's fault. He didn't know what had happened to her mother. He actually was very pleasant to work with; intelligent, with a dry sense of humor, An Rui was a font of information and tactical strategy. If he wasn't so lowly born, Ai Ren supposed he would be promoted above Sergeant to a Major or Captain. As it was, Sergeant was the highest rank he could hope to attain.

But then, perhaps being lowly born was why he took the Army so seriously. Ai Ren didn't see the nobles caring as much about regulation as he did, and they milled about various courtyards uncaring of the rules they were supposed to uphold. An Rui was a serious sort, and finding his hair too long and curling about the nape of his neck agitated him. He requested to get a haircut or get some kind of product to slick his hair back away from his eyes and face. Ai Ren had run her fingers through his hair as he slept and battled fever, and admittedly liked its softness. She found extra hair creams that she normally didn't use, and it seemed to settle his nerves. Even though he had horrific scars to heal, An Rui still wanted to be uniform ready.

He had nothing else but the Army to give his unswerving devotion to. Ai Ren wasn't sure if it was admirable or something to pity. An Rui definitely wouldn't want her pity, so she kept her thoughts about it to herself.

When Yugota felt it was time for An Rui to begin walking about the medical complex as physical therapy, of course it was Ai Ren who was supposed to accompany him. "You have almost completed your lessons," the old water bender told the girl. "Think of this as time to consider your options once I formally declare them complete."

"When will that be?"

Yugota gave her a small, sad smile. "When he walks back into his company, ready to lead them again. He is a stubborn one, so it will be soon."

Ai Ren wandered outside of the medical complex, out toward the snowy tundra. She liked to think while alone and in silence. Noise could be too distracting, and she would never find her way out of the maze of her thoughts.

Some distance from the complex, when the tall turrets were almost in line with the snow, Ai Ren saw smoke curling up toward the sky. There was something furtive about it, as if whoever was there was trying to hide their fire. Lips compressed tight, Ai Ren crept forward. The wind was picking up now, and it was starting to blow snow over her footsteps. She decided that the spirits must have been urging her forward, providing her this measure of assistance. With thanks to Tui and La, the water and moon spirits, she approached the fire as closely as she dared.

She recognized General Ko Bal right away. She had seen him in the courtyards and at the execution. He was tall and thin, with a pinched face, reedy voice and pointed goatee of dark hair beneath his golden eyes. General Saito, by contrast, had a thin mustache and had more genteel air to the steel behind his gaze. Saito absolutely would tear a man to pieces if warranted, but he preferred to appear soft spoken. It was neater that way, and allowed him to come in much closer to his enemies than Ko Bal.

Ai Ren didn't recognize the older men present with Ko Bal. One was much older than the other two and appeared sickly. He wheezed as if his lungs were bad, rheumy eyes sliding away from Ko Bal's face with every few words. Ai Ren had the impression that the third man was the old man's majordomo, though she couldn't pinpoint anything specific about the man that gave her that impression. He was older than Ko Bal but younger than the old man, with a stockier frame and a gravelly voice. He was a more commanding presence, though he seemed to defer to him every once in a while.

"He's still a boy, royal or not," the majordomo was saying with a dismissive wave. "The Avatar might back his claim to the throne, but even Fire Lord Ozai never trusted him. The scar is his mark of shame," he spat, lips twisting in disgust. "Now he dares to flaunt his shame before us all and expect us to bow before him."

"This world is ours," Ko Bal said, his voice dropping into an almost silken register. The oldest man was nodding. "Don't you agree, my Lord?"

Nobility and a section of the military plotting against the Fire Lord? This couldn't be good.

Ai Ren willed herself into a small ball, hidden by snow and ice. It wasn't useful water bending per se, but sometimes the snow would simply rush up to her, cover her so that she couldn't be seen and persecuted. It was how her mother discovered her bending skills.

The eldest man turned his rheumy eyes toward Ko Bal and placed his hand on the General's sleeve. Ai Ren could see the general's eye twitch at the contact, but discipline allowed him to remain still. "My son will not be cheated of his inheritance, General. You and Bai Bao Tien must ensure this. He may not be worthy, but he is my only remaining son."

The majordomo bowed his head. "Of course, my Lord. He learns his lessons regarding the business and iron works well. But he has no mind for politics such as this. He doesn't understand how the world should be. He is far too young to understand the repercussions of the new Fire Lord's ascension. We all need this war to continue."

The General smiled at them both. "Then we are in agreement. I am sure I can discover the whereabouts of Fire Lord Ozai. In the meantime, you know what you must do."

As the majordomo – Bai Bao Tien, apparently, though Ai Ren didn't know the importance of the name – kicked snow over the fire to put it out, Ai Ren backed away slowly. The winds still blew favorably, covering over her tracks as she crept under cover of snow back toward the medical complex. Her mind turned over what she had heard, and she didn't know where to turn. Yugota wouldn't know what to do about a plot such as this, and she had no military expertise to know if this was a serious threat or simply the talk of tired old men.

But she knew an army man very well by now. And An Rui would absolutely know how to gauge the threat level appropriately.

He listened to her furtive whispers closely as they walked in slow, careful circles to build up his strength. "We will need to tell General Saito," he murmured. He caught sight of her alarmed expression. "I know he is loyal to the crown. He is no friend to General Ko Bal." An Rui caught her hand tightly in his, nearly startling them both. "You're okay. _You're okay._ I will protect you with my life, Mei Ai Ren."

Knees knocking together, Ai Ren later repeated her story to General Saito. An Rui was behind her, at stiff attention in his full uniform. The General nodded slowly, lounging in a chair. He finally gestured for them both to sit down. "I am aware that Ko Bal is one of my competitors within the army. I was not aware of his treasonous thoughts, though it does not surprise me. He chafes in peacetime." He turned his gaze to Ai Ren. "You are certain of the name Bai Bao Tien?"

"Yes. Why?"

"He does assist the Feng family with their holdings in the Fire Nation. Feng Mu Rui is old, nearly on his deathbed. He does not breathe well, and it is known that he doesn't care for his only son very much. Feng Rui Bang, however, is a devoted son and does all he can to rise to Mu Rui's expectations. It is an open secret that he gave up childish things to try to learn to run his father's company. It still does not please the old man."

"That does sound like the man I saw," Ai Ren agreed.

"You must go to the capital," General Saito declared after a moment's thought. "I cannot openly make a move against General Ko Bal. If anything is to be done about this, it must be swift and without his knowledge. If the two of you go, then it will not arouse his suspicions. It will be as if you walk on the dream planes in the spirit world."

Talk of the spirit world in this particular case made Ai Ren shiver. She wasn't particularly fond of the idea of joining the spirit world just yet.

"But there is no plausible reason for me to enter the capital, sir," An Rui stated, hands flat on the glossy table top. The marble was polished to a mirror shine, reflecting the subtle grandeur of the general's private meeting room. Ai Ren was sure that the room had cost more than it did to house and clothe an entire water tribe family for a month.

"Actually, I may have just the task." General Saito's smile carried a hint of the predatory. "Captain Song Du Man and his wife Mai Liu will be returning to the capital with a small retinue due to her declining health here in the north. They have two small children, so it is imperative that she return home to the Fire Nation as quickly as possible." He looked at Ai Ren. "And I must talk with your chief, but the water healer that worked miracles on one of my men would definitely be a welcome addition to the group, in case Mai Liu's health deteriorates further."

Ai Ren frowned. "What's wrong with her? There are many maladies that can fall on young mothers, and she may need a more gifted healer."

"Her mind wanders," Saito said quietly. "She believes she is in the spirit world. This world is not real, her children are not real, and she must die to fully wake up." He steepled his fingers together as he contemplated Ai Ren. "I have not mentioned this to Du Man, as he does not fully realize how serious her condition is. I am afraid she will do harm to herself. She may harm Du Man or the children. I cannot say. There is no physical ailment, Healer Ai Ren." She startled slightly at the honorific, as she didn't feel she had earned it yet. "It is in her mind, and returning home may cure this illness. I hope so, at the very least."

"Who else is in the retinue?" An Rui asked, mind already trying to figure out rations, equipment and security measures that would have to be put into place.

Ai Ren thought his talents were wasted as a Specialist.

Ai Ren tuned out most of it, as she didn't recognize any of the names. An Rui didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about some of them, particularly Tu, but Ai Ren was an utter novice regarding how the military worked. She didn't expect to meet the Song family soon after. Du Man had an intensity in his gaze not softened by his squinting as he thought. He had blond hair and at times Ai Ren could almost swear he had blue eyes instead of golden. He was casually dismissive of others' concerns; An Rui's comments about Tu led to a dismissive wave of his hand. "He's the best and I need the best."

Ai Ren felt as though Mai Liu looked right through her as if she was invisible. The woman could have have sliced the Healer open with a broken glass and Du Man might not have said anything. He was utterly besotted with his wife, talking to her in low tones and caressing her back if she wasn't helping the nanny with the children. Song Phung and Song Jiang both had their father's fair coloring as opposed to Mai Liu's striking dark hair against very pale skin. She moved about like a wraith, as if she truly was part of the spirit world. The children stomped and shouted as they played with their toys and ran from their nurse. Phung was nearly five, old enough to recognize that there was something wrong with Mai Liu and her empty glances. Jiang was two and proud of his ability to run after his older sister. He didn't know that anything was different about his mother, and was the ray of sunshine within the retinue heading for the Fire Nation capital as quickly as possible.

Master Sergeant Tu was tall and wore an easy grin on his swarthy face, as if he knew a delicious secret that no one else did. He called An Rui a stick in the mud, didn't care for Captain Song Du Man and did his best to charm Ai Ren. The Song family potions master Yusuf hailed from one of the southern Earth Kingdom cities and was friendly enough with Tu. Though Yusuf didn't usually enter the field, he had gone north with them for the promise of a healthy retirement pension and the lure of new potions ingredients.

Ai Ren found Tu charming enough, though it grated on her nerves when his comments grew too excessive. "Are you truly as quick witted as your name?" she asked him one morning. They had , not yet left the frozen north, though the week's journey felt like a lifetime already.

Tu merely grinned at her, revealing his crooked front teeth and the source of the fine wrinkles around his eyes. "Quicker."

She gave him a pleasant smile. "Pity. Men should have stamina, shouldn't they?"

Tu was baffled for a moment, which let Ai Ren sashay from his side with a serene smile. An Rui had been sharpening his sword for lack of anything better to do, and his chuckle was worth the thunderous look on Tu's face when he realized what Ai Ren had implied.

"Is it far to the Fire Nation Capital?" Ai Ren asked around the evening fire that night.

Her earlier snide comment forgiven, Tu nodded at her easily enough. "Especially if we travel slowly enough to be comfortable for the children and Mai Liu."

"She's mad, that one," Yusuf murmured. He looked up, his dark skin and darker hair and eyes nearly blending into the shadows of the oncoming night. He pulled his black cloak around his shoulders and leaned away from the fire. "It wasn't always that way, of course. But sometimes the things you see change you. Sometimes what you think is real isn't."

"What are you talking about?" An Rui asked, brows furrowing. He actually missed his former company. This was supposed to be advance to his career, but he would have preferred to remain a Specialist. The promotion to Corporal looked good, but he didn't like to be out of his element and thrown in with this lot of strangers. Ai Ren was a welcome sight, the only familiar face he cared to see throughout the day. Once she was done caring for the Song family, she tended to gravitate toward the soldiers, listening to their stories. As she was so new and had such a rapt expression on her innocent face, the hardened men fell over themselves to spill their secrets and weave tales for her amusement. An Rui couldn't compete in that arena, and it burned him deep inside. He told himself it didn't matter, but it did. He wanted to impress her, wanted to be worthy of her, even if he had also been born a peasant. A Healer was of higher rank, possibly equivalent to a Captain. He would never be her equal.

Yusuf looked back toward the Song family tent. "The Captain is a Dream Walker."

Tu snorted. "That old tale..."

"They travel the Spirit World, don't they?" Ai Ren asked, leaning forward eagerly.

Yusuf nodded, an enigmatic smile on his face. "Oh, the things you can see in the spirit world... It can be reached by meditation or by being in holy places at the right times and doing the right rituals. But if you have had your mind expanded artificially..."

"Can potions really do that?"

The potions master merely smiled at her. "There are few things I cannot do if I put my mind to it, such wonders that I can craft. Understand, Ai Ren, just because I _can_ do a thing does not mean that I should do it. Rather like you can make a man's heart stop with your healing gift, but you would not do such a thing deliberately." He nodded at her startled shake of her head. "Just so. I can craft potions to blur the lines between our world and the Spirit World. But I will no longer craft such things."

"No longer," An Rui said sharply, picking up on his words. "Which means you did."

"Yes," Yusuf replied, staring directly at An Rui. "The supply of potion is quite low now, if not depleted. But before I knew the damage that could be done with such things, Captain Song Du Man became a Dream Walker. He could enter the minds of his enemies and convince them to surrender, could make entire villages bow down before him without bloodshed. He changed them, altered their very ability to make decisions."

"Quite the skill if it is true," Tu replied, idly picking at his teeth with his pocket knife.

Yusuf flicked his gaze toward the Song family tent. "That skill does not develop without practice." He nodded at Ai Ren's horrified expression. "Just so."

An Rui shook his head. "He dotes on her. He would never."

"Wouldn't he?" Yusuf challenged. "Is that love or is it guilt?"

No one could answer definitively.

Tu cleaned his knife on his sleeve then folded it back up and slipped it into his belt loop. "He is a soulless creature. Perhaps that tale is true, perhaps not." He looked up at the dark night sky, only a slim sliver of moon barely creating light across the tundra. "He cares for results, not how he gets them, not the innocents trampled along the way."

"I'm surprised you would feel that way," An Rui said, looking at Tu with a gaze tinged with annoyance. Tu may have performed a prank or two, though it was really the apparent lack of discipline that truly bothered An Rui.

"I only _look_ disorderly and unmanageable," he chastised An Rui. "I'm not interested in advancing my career, after all."

"Why not?" Ai Ren asked as Yusuf started on his dessert of lecheberry candy. She gratefully accepted his offer of a piece; the candy was so dreadfully expensive to a student.

Tu nodded at the Song family tent. "If I happen to find a woman willing to put up with my antics, I wouldn't want to have her trailing after me like a dogbear cub."

"Wouldn't it simply be easier to curb your antics?"

Tu laughed in the face of Ai Ren's sarcastic comment. "If I do that, who will liven up the lives of the men? It's such a dour group, after all."

"Perhaps they don't want that," An Rui said sharply. Around the fire in the evenings, rank didn't matter and he could be bolder. Come morning, he never would speak so rashly.

Tu snorted. "Not afraid to dream a little bigger, darling?" The mocking question was asked with a meaningful look toward Ai Ren.

An Rui wanted to punch his mouth, splitting his lips across those crooked teeth. Instead, he leveled an even look at Tu and rose. "Then off I am to dream," he said stiffly. Oh, how he wished that Mai Liu wasn't so deathly ill on ship travel. It was so much harder to travel with such a large group over land. He nodded at the men and bowed low for Ai Ren.

The sight of her large golden eyes haunted his sleep.

***  
***


	2. The White Lotus

Ai Ren helped the nurse bed down the children to nap in a covered wagon so as not to hold up progress further. Part of her wondered why General Saito would want them traveling this way when it was so much slower and they would never get to the capital in a timely manner. The only one she could share her concern with was An Rui, and he was riding an ostrich horse beside other officers.

She was startled to see Mai Lui at the head of the wagon as she left the nurse. "You don't belong here," she hissed, eyes narrowing.

"I was helping Chi..." Ai Ren stammered.

Mai Liu up close had such green eyes that they were nearly blue. Was she originally Earth Kingdom stock? No one had said, and the children were spitting images of their father. "You don't belong here," she repeated, and Ai Ren felt the menace in her tone. "They aren't really my children, but you still can't have them."

Ai Ren shook her head desperately. "Chi needed help, that's all. I'll take my leave now..."

"Do you know what it is to be a lover? Half of a whole?"

"No." Ai Ren shook her head, large eyes never leaving Mai Liu's crazed expression.

"Then how can you help? How can you come here with your intentions to fix everything when there is nothing to fix?"

"But..."

"Mai Liu!" Du Man's sharp voice cracked across the field, and Mai Liu sat up sharply, leaning away from Ai Ren. Only then did the healer see the small knife in Mai Liu's hand, only inches from plunging into her heart.

Mai Liu gave Ai Ren a sweet smile and sheathed her knife. "Another time, then."

Ai Ren shivered and let one of Du Man's men transfer her onto an ostrich horse to ride separately from the wagon of civilian women and children. Carrying her secret about Ko Bal's treason, she didn't feel much like a civilian anyway.

***

"I wish I could heal her mind," Ai Ren murmured to An Rui nearly two weeks later. He was constantly solicitous of her, looking out for her welfare. He hadn't been anywhere near the wagon, but she supposed that either Du Man or Tu had told him about it. Mai Liu wasn't allowed anywhere near Ai Ren any longer, but her gaze was heavy and knowing. With her hands in her sleeves, Mai Liu seemed even more menacing; Ai Ren had heard talk that Fire Lady Mai was an expert with knives and often had several hidden beneath her overlarge sleeves. It wouldn't surprise her in the least.

An Rui seemed sad as he followed Ai Ren's gaze toward the wagon. "No one truly speaks of it, but she and the children were alone for part of the war. There's talk that something happened to her, something to break her mind."

"Besides the dream walking, you mean?" Ai Ren asked sharply.

"The enlisted men don't know about the dream walking," An Rui said, voice pitched low and careful. "But sometimes the things we see or do in the course of war can have its effects. Not all men are honorable, unfortunately."

"Oh, how I know it," Ai Ren replied without thinking, bitterness in her tone. She regretted it when she saw his confusion and hurt. "No, not you," she murmured with a sigh. "I don't speak of it, but you wouldn't have known... There's a reason why I have golden eyes."

An Rui gave her a questioning look when she fell silent. "What is it?"

"It was during the war," Ai Ren said softly, looking away from An Rui. "My mother was newly married and looking for herbs on the tundra. There were Fire Nation soldiers there, maybe lost after a battle. No one knew why they were there." She fell silent, startling when An Rui laid a gentle hand on her arm in support. "They forced her," Ai Ren said in a tiny voice, looking back at him. "All of them. And then I was born."

"Ai Ren..."

"She doesn't know which of them might have been the one that fathered me. When she found herself with child, she prayed to the spirits for guidance. She didn't want me." Ai Ren looked away from An Rui's pained expression. "But the spirits told her that I had a destiny, and that there would be a purpose in her pain. I had to be born." She paused, and An Rui slid one hand down her back. "Father raised me, even if sometimes he couldn't love me. My mother tried her best, and she couldn't look at my eyes. And then when they found out I could bend... There are no benders in Mother's family," she said, looking back at him with a vulnerable expression. "I'm the first. We all know why."

"It's not your fault," An Rui told her, touching her chin gently.

"I know. I do. But I have no brothers or sisters, and I know why that is, too."

An Rui leaned in and kissed her softly, nothing more than a gentle brushing of lips. He moved back, his fingers still at her chin and back, her hands fisted in the front of his uniform. Her lips were parted slightly, eyes blown wide. "You are a wonderful woman, Mei Ai Ren. You are more than a story of pain and suffering. You saved my life and you care what happens in the world. We're going to protect the Fire Lord because of what you heard, because you know it's the right thing to do even if you don't believe in him." He gave her a tender smile. "The spirits were right. You do have a destiny, and there is a place in the world for you."

She looked at him almost expectantly, then looked around. They had been sitting in a relatively secluded corner of the camp. Only Tu seemed to notice them, and he gave them both a pleased smile. "An Rui... Tu's looking at us."

Frowning slightly, An Rui took her hand and brought her off to the side, where the others should not have been able to see them. "Quick. Give me a kiss."

Startled, she did. It was just as soft as the one he had given her, revealing her inexperience and yearning at once. With a slight smile on her lips, Ai Ren pulled back. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and there was Tu, grinning like a fool at them. "He's still looking at us."

"It was worth a shot," An Rui murmured.

"What?" she asked, turning to look back at him.

"I didn't think you wanted an audience. But I'd very much like to do that again."

Ai Ren still had that soft smile on her face. "It's only Tu. I don't think he will say awful things about us at camp."

"Good point." He leaned in again, cupping her face in his hands. He kissed her again, a little more pressure than before. His tongue darted out and touched the edge of her lips. Ai Ren gasped, tugging on his uniform in her surprise. An Rui let his tongue slide between her lips, and he explored her mouth slowly. It was a languid, sensual kiss, one that stole Ai Ren's breath and had her toes curling inside of her boots. Suddenly she wanted _more,_ even if she didn't really understand what that was. Oh, she knew the mechanics of lovemaking, but she had never felt it for herself and hadn't expected to.

Now it was a very real and delicious possibility.

"We can't do more than this," Ai Ren told him mournfully, her hands still on his uniform and lips tingling from his kiss. "If something were to happen..."

An Rui had that intense look on his face again. "Because I couldn't ask your father for your hand?" he asked. Ai Ren blinked at him in surprise. "I would, if he was here. Know this, Ai Ren: I'd care for our children, guide them in the ways to live rightly, teach them the proper codes of conduct. I'd show our sons by example how to honor women and our daughters what they should expect of real men."

"Oh," she murmured, dazed. "I would... I'd like that," she stuttered. "I don't think he would refuse you if you asked. My father, I mean. He would like you. He's honorable and just, a fair man, if harsh in some ways."

Smiling at her, An Rui let his hands fall from her face to her shoulders. "In the countryside where I am from, men show their intent to marry with the gift of a white flower. There haven't been any here."

"In the Northern Water Tribe, it's a necklace. You carve the pendant and I wear it so that everyone can see that I am engaged."

An Rui pulled back and started fumbling with uniform and looking into his pockets."Does it have to be carved by me?" He found what he was looking for, a white lotus tile that his father had given him before he entered the army. "My father gave me this, said it should bring me luck on my journey. I think it has."

Ai Ren could feel the blush on her cheeks. "It's a white lotus."

"It fits both our peoples' traditions."

"I will wear it gladly," she said, leaning in to kiss him again. "And when this journey is over, we can marry."

"Would you allow me to anticipate the wedding?" An Rui asked with a playful smile.

It took her a moment to understand his meaning, and she let out a delighted and embarrassed laugh. "If you can manage it in this camp, I'll be impressed. I wouldn't wish for everyone to talk or think less of us."

An Rui obviously took that as a challenge. Grinning, he stood and held out his hand to her. She took it and let him help her up. "Then prepare to be impressed. I'll have this tile on a string and a plan to visit you tonight."

She nearly shivered at the promise and desire in his gaze. "I look forward to it."

***

Yusuf was a master at more than just potions, and drilled the hole in the pai sho tile at An Rui's request easily enough. The white lotus pattern was unmarred, and he had a small metal loop that he was able to put through the tile so that it hung evenly on a blue ribbon. "There's a story behind this, isn't there?" he asked, threading the metal loop through the drilled hole.

"My father gave me this tile for luck," An Rui told Yusuf. "I haven't been without it since."

"But the necklace?"

"Northern Water Tribe engagement tradition." An Rui managed not to laugh when Yusuf startled and nearly dropped the tile. "And our country tradition of presenting a white flower."

"Convenient blend, that." Yusuf looked up at An Rui as he passed over the tile. "And the white lotus is a powerful piece if used correctly. Do you know the white lotus maneuver in pai sho?"

"My father was something of a master at the game. I hadn't really learned to play before I left home. I know he wanted to teach it to me." An Rui finished threading the tile and looked at Yusuf's inscrutable expression. "There are a great many meanings and uses for this tile, I know that much."

"There are a great many mysteries in the world," Yusuf agreed. He hesitated for a moment, as if he wasn't sure what An Rui's reaction would be to his next words. "I do think that you would be able to hold them, if you wanted to learn them. Many believe that now the war is over there is no need for mystery or old fashioned things."

"Or perhaps this is the time for it," An Rui countered. "The peace was so hard won, and there are those who would threaten it."

Yusuf paused to think for a moment. "Yes. I can see that." He straightened a little and An Rui could hear footsteps. "I congratulate you on your engagement, then," he said with a smile. "I'll find something special for our meal tonight."

Before An Rui could protest that, the tent flap opened and Du Man entered. "Ah. I was looking for Yusuf. Mai Liu..."

An Rui found it nearly impossible to look at the man without hearing Yusuf's story of his skill as a Dream Walker. Or the implication that he had shattered the mind of his beloved wife while learning how to use that skill.

"I was just taking my leave, sir," An Rui said, inclining his head. He quickly left the tent, feeling as though Yusuf was trying to tell him something very important, as if they had been playing pai sho without tiles or a board. Hadn't General Saito said something about pai sho being more than a simple game, but a microcosm for life? Or perhaps his father had said that once, and he was mixing up the two. A great many memories had become entwined in his fever dreams while recovering from his burns.

Tu fell into step beside him. "I see you decided at last to do more than simply look."

"Why do you care?"

Tu laughed. "I hear a great many things I'm not meant to. I see many things as well." His smile carried an edge to it, as if he was weighted with secrets. "Think of me like a chameleon bird. I can look or sound like many things."

"Why are you telling me this?" An Rui asked warily.

"Oh, you're right not to trust this." The laughter slid from Tu's face instantly. "General Saito had many purposes to this trip. He would have come himself if tourists were allowed." Tu inclined his head at a fellow soldier as they passed by the campsite. "There are many areas of unrest in these times. What you hold in your hand is a sign that you are an agent of peace."

"I'm a soldier. I plan and I protect."

The smile slid back onto Tu's face. "Of course. It's merely an extension of your duties to the crown." The words seemed to carry extra weight somehow, and An Rui frowned at Tu. "The importance of such things are known to the Order of the White Lotus."

The name didn't mean anything to An Rui, and his expression must have told Tu this. "This is my engagement sign, if you must know."

"So you pass your protection to her." Tu raked his gaze across the campsite. "There are no other Order members in camp. Yusuf and I are, of course. The Captain is not to be trusted. He won't protect you if his family is in danger, no matter what he says. He couldn't care less about the rest of us on this journey."

"Why are you telling me this?" An Rui asked suspiciously.

"Good, good. Suspicion will keep your senses as sharp as your sword." Tu had an easy smile on his face, appearing for all the world as if he was simply telling a joke. "General Ko Bal has it in for the Captain, since the Captain couldn't complete a secret mission for him. The Dream Walking was incomplete, and General Saito had always thought that Du Man was meant to steal secrets that would solidify the current Fire Lord's hold on the throne. He didn't complete it, of course, and Ko Bal still schemes."

"I didn't trust Du Man to start with."

"Smart man," Tu said approvingly. "Perhaps there is hope for you yet."

"For what?"

"I know you hold a secret that could prevent another war from starting. I don't know what it is and I don't care to. But make sure that Du Man never discovers why you're really here. He still has that Dream Walking potion, and I don't think he's lost the skill."

An Rui suppressed a shiver as he nodded. "I understand."

Tu gave him a half bow and then started heading back to camp. "Congratulations are in order, I understand," he said in a voice pitched slightly louder. "I shall endeavor to contain my jealousy. You are a very lucky man."

An Rui watched Tu head toward a group of soldiers much lower in rank and sweet talk his way into a game of dice. He had the necklace in hand, and headed straight to Ai Ren. She was with Chi and children, Mai Liu nowhere in sight. An Rui formally bowed low and extended the necklace for her inspection. "I would be most honored if you would wear this token," he said, looking up at her with a smile. "I declare my wish for us to be married."

She took it, grinning all the while. "I share this wish and accept your offering."

It felt like a ritual, like magic. An Rui watched as Ai Ren tied the blue ribbon around her throat, the white lotus tile settling into the hollow between her collarbones. The tile looked as though it belonged there, as if it had always meant to be a charm.

Some of the men good naturedly teased them; An Rui was sure the jokes would get much more ribald after Ai Ren retired for the night. She told the story of Tui and La, the spirits of the moon and sea, entrancing even the harder soldiers in the camp. It was a story of devotion and love, and they all could understand that. "Sometimes the kata you do reminds me of the sea," Ai Ren mentioned with a fond smile. "The entire company moving as one... You look like waves crashing into the cliffs."

"Don't the water benders do something like it?" one of the soldiers asked. Ai Ren thought his name was Tadashi, but couldn't really remember.

"I suppose, but I was trained in healing arts. Women don't fight in our tribe usually. Katara was the first to be trained by Master Pakku, but she's from the Southern Water Tribe. They do things differently there."

"Huh," Tadashi said, shaking his head. "What do you think, sir?" he asked, looking at An Rui speculatively. "Think we could teach her bending to defend herself? We're leaving the limits of their navy, and who knows what bandits are in the Earth Kingdom? I've heard the kings don't take care of their lands as closely as the Fire Lord does."

Ai Ren could see the flare of concern and panic in An Rui's eyes; he wouldn't want to lose her so closely after being affianced. His grip on her hand was tight but not uncomfortable. "That's an excellent idea. We can start with simple drills and hand to hand first. Adding the bending should come naturally once you feel comfortable with the basics."

The men all cheered and hollered when Ai Ren asked An Rui to begin right then, though it wasn't quite the ribald commentary that he had feared. She mimicked his motions easily enough, laughing when she didn't quite get into the rhythm of it. Tu slid into a seat near Tadashi, a wide and amused smile on his face. An Rui tuned it out and focused on Ai Ren, the way she smiled at him and the pleased light in her eyes.

An Rui didn't care about secret societies, dream walking, the slow travel to the capital over land or the threat to the Fire Lord just then. All that mattered was her.

***

Ai Ren's tent was located between the army regiment's camp and the wagons containing the Song family and staff. She didn't really belong to either group, and would be available at any time if there was an emergency this way. As far as An Rui was concerned, this made it easy to sneak out of his bedroll and into her tent in the middle of the night. He was a light sleeper and didn't dream much, so once the patrols passed by, he was already easing out of his sleeping area and creeping toward Ai Ren's tent.

She was a much deeper sleeper, lying on her side on the bedroll with her hair loose and curling all around her face. It was normally tied back and out of her face or hidden under the hood of her coat. Though it was warmer here than it had been in the tundra, she hadn't quite felt warm enough to shed the thick fur coat. An Rui thought perhaps she simply wasn't used to being surrounded by so many strange men that might look at her. Knowing her family's history now, he could understand the hesitancy. He could possibly ask their armorer or leather craftsmen about a compromise so that she wouldn't overheat as they moved further south.

An Rui knelt beside her and touched her arm gently. She startled, eyes flying wide as she gasped for breath. He caught her hand in his. "You're okay," he told her. Ai Ren swung her eyes toward him, trying to catch her breath. "You're okay," he repeated a few more times, touch gentle on her hand and wrist. It grounded her, and she nodded. "I'm here," he told her unnecessarily, a crooked and endearing smile on his face.

"I see that." She gave him a playful shove. "Don't scare me like that next time."

He leaned in and captured her mouth with his. "I'll make it up to you."

"Oh? How do you propose to do such a thing?"

An Rui began to kiss the side of her neck, his hands sliding down the front of her robes. The fabric was thicker than standard Fire Nation fare, suitable for life on the tundra and near the North Pole. He could still feel the subtle curves of her slender body, and her breath caught when he touched her stomach. "Should I not do this?" he asked, a teasing challenge in his tone.

"I think a practical demonstration of what you refer to would be welcome," Ai Ren said, her breath fracturing as his hand slid lower still. She laid her hand on his chest, feeling bold enough just for doing this. They were both fully clothed and had only shared kisses and touches so far, but it felt as if he had set fire to her very blood.

An Rui lifted the edge of her robe. "The leggings will have to go."

Her golden eyes seemed to grow even larger at the statement, but she obligingly helped to remove them, baring her legs. She didn't feel cold, and shifted so that An Rui could kneel between her thighs. Her breath came in short pants of anticipation, and she watched him touch her clothed breasts and stomach. Beneath the robe she was completely bare, and she let out a soft whimper when he moved his hands to her bare skin. He looked up at her in concern, and she shook her head at him. "Don't stop. I haven't ever... But I want to," she said hastily, interrupting herself. "I want to with you," she said quickly, hoping she didn't sound as flustered as she felt.

He smiled, then lifted her robe up to her stomach. "I plan to go slowly, Ai Ren. I plan to savor the time we have together. Every moment is precious. I think the spirits had something planned for me as well. I wouldn't be here with you otherwise."

Before she could ask him what he meant, he bent down to kiss the apex of her thighs. She sucked in a breath, and one hand flew up to the white lotus necklace around her throat. Her other closed tightly around the furs she had been sleeping on. Ai Ren didn't know whether she should be scandalized, amused, aroused or some combination of the three. His lips were gentle as he nuzzled and tasted her most intimate parts, and Ai Ren bit her lips to stay silent. She bucked beneath his mouth, legs trembling under his touch. An Rui paid as close attention to her responses as he did to the needs of the garrison, and it wasn't long before she had to bite on her sleeve to muffle her cries of pleasure.

An Rui sat back on his haunches when she stilled, breathless and sated. He moved to hover over her sprawled for, fingers sticky as he balanced his weight on his hands and knees. Ai Ren reached up to cradle his face in the palm of her hand. She was aware of the silly grin on her face and the languid looseness in her limbs. An Rui looked pleased with her satisfaction, though still a little tense. She reached between them with her free hand and traced his arousal through his clothing. "We should continue," she murmured, feeling somewhat shy despite the intimacy and desire for more.

He laughed, sounding a little relieved. "I hoped you'd feel that way."

There was pain and discomfort in the beginning that lessened into a dull ache by the end. Ai Ren wrapped her arms around An Rui's body, holding him close. "I'm sorry I hurt you," he whispered into her hair. "I would have spared you that if I could."

"I know." She kissed his cheek and smiled against his skin. "It won't hurt the next time."

Regretfully, An Rui soon left her embrace to return to his own bedroll before he was missed. Ai Ren smiled at the ceiling of her tent, pulling her furs tightly around herself. She closed her fist over the white lotus pai sho tile around her throat, squeezing her eyes tightly as she fought the urge to giggle like a small child presented with an especially tasty treat.

She found herself in a different location after that, walking along the streets of her home city. The buildings were familiar, though there was something about them that didn't ring quite true. It was something about the details of the place that made her feel uneasy, as if someone had tried to build a model of the city based on her fuzziest memories. Ai Ren reached up to her throat to feel the white lotus tile, but its weight didn't feel the way it should. The drilled hole wasn't smoothed around the edges and the metal link was rough against the skin of her throat.

This wasn't real. This was a dream.

Her mind hissed that Song Du Man was a Dream Walker, that he had sifted through the minds of important men and divined secrets he never should have known. She was the subject of his attention now, though she didn't know what he might hope to find. He couldn't know about her true purpose in the retinue, thinking she was merely there in a Healer's capacity and as a token of good faith from Chief Arnook to Fire Lord Zuko.

Gradually, as she walked through the streets, she began to see people walking about on their daily business. It was as if they were being plucked from her memories and then placed directly in her path the way they would have been if she had still been in the city taking her walks. Ai Ren was sure that if she headed to Yugota's classroom, the Healer would be there with the other students talking about lines of chi and how to apply water in different healing patterns. If she headed to the crèche, she might find the children that she usually built ice castles with. She was sure that would mean the conspirators would be waiting on the tundra, whispering their sedition and treason against the Fire Lord.

Instead of heading there, she walked toward the crèche. Better to build ice castles and talk of toys and inconsequential things. She hummed a lullaby her mother used to sing to her, one that referenced the spirits Tui and La. It had been her favorite growing up, especially after she had learned that the spirits had a special destiny in mind for her.

The children were playing in the crèche yard as they usually did, and Ai Ren saw the Song children among them. Clasping her hands in front of her, she approached slowly. This was further proof that this was nothing but a dream, and the incongruity of Fire Nation red mixed in with Water Tribe blue bothered her. What did Song Du Man want from her?

Her nails felt sharp, her cuticles dry and ragged. Working with water and ice could do damage to hands if they weren't properly cared for, though Ai Ren had always taken care of her hands. They were too important for her skill as a Healer to neglect. Another incongruous detail, then. If there were mistakes like this within the dream for her to detect, how could Song Du Man have gotten such renown for being a Dream Walker? How could his victims never suspect?

Unless she was meant to realize this wasn't real. Unless there was a purpose to the falsity.

He stood at the other entrance to the crèche, beckoning her forward. With less hesitancy than she felt, Ai Ren approached and accepted the invitation to sit at the table beside him. For a moment, he merely sat with a cup of hot tea in front of him. He took a slow sip, then looked at her with his oddly colored eyes. "The children say you build things."

"Sometimes I do. It's a welcome rest from the Healing classes."

Du Man nodded as if that confirmed a suspicion he had been harboring. He pushed forward parchment, ink and a quill. "Here. Use this. You can draw what you would build for the children." His eyes were hard as she sputtered. "Draw me a maze that cannot easily be solved."

"Captain Song..."

He swung his oddly colored eyes at her, and she knew she had felt that soulless gaze on her before. He had always been respectful, but the disconnect in his expression was chilling. Ai Ren could believe this man capable of breaking his wife's mind. "Draw," he commanded, pushing the parchment and ink at her.

Her first attempts didn't pass muster, and he grew more and more irritated. "They said you hold such secrets. The children whisper. They hear things you never think they do," Du Man said, drumming his fingers on the table. He seized her latest maze, a half finished thing that she had started drawing out of sheer frustration and perversity. It confused him, however, and he began to smile at her, pleased. "Yes. Yes, this is what I need."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Captain."

"There are things that need to be hidden and there are some things that need to be revealed. You must understand this. Healers are privy to such secrets..."

"I could never divulge anything about a patient," she replied, scandalized.

His smile was thin and edged, and Ai Ren suddenly thought of Mai Liu and her wicked little knife, ready to plunge into her heart. Abruptly she got up from the table, knocking into one of its legs. The hot tea sloshed in the cup and spilled over the edge, distracting Song Du Man. The terrifying moment passed, but Ai Ren could still feel her heart pounding in her chest. She closed her hand over the white lotus tile at her throat, deriving comfort from it. Part of her wanted to close her eyes and sleep, waking up in her tent with the evidence of An Rui's affections between her legs. Another part of her wanted to punish Song Du Man for violating her mind this way. She wasn't a threat to him or his family. If anything, she simply wanted to help.

"I have a proposition for you," he said, disregarding her discomfort easily. "Help me, and I'll be in a position to reward you greatly."

"I don't know what you mean. I'm a Healer..."

"The others aren't loyal. The foot soldiers in the company, the Specialists, the Corporals and Sergeants... They are not all mine to command." He got up slowly, a viper's smile on his face. "I will reward your efforts. A life of your own, prestige and riches... It will be better than anything that Chieftain can give you in the north."

Ai Ren shook her head and backed up. "I have everything I need or want right now. You have nothing you can offer me." The children approached her, but they were looking at the Captain with menace. She understood that they were hers somehow, and that the products of her mind were feeling threatened and wanted to expel the stranger.

"We shall see, won't we?" Du Man asked, his smile as sharp as any armadillo wolf's.

The children surrounded her as Du Man approached. Ai Ren saw the flash of something like a knife and she started to scream "I need to wake up!" just as the blade sank in between her ribs.

She woke up gasping and clutching at her side, wishing for An Rui's presence. She curled up, clutching at the white lotus tile. She was angry with Du Man and frustrated that she hadn't been able to defend herself in the dream.

Given that An Rui and his men had all accepted her presence, this experience was that much more disheartening. As her breathing slowed, she started feeling more anger than fear. Song Du Man wasn't willing to move against her in the real world, marking him as a coward afraid of a young healer with no military background.

If he was that afraid, she would make sure that she was worthy of that fear.

***

"Aren't the two of you absolutely precious?"

Ai Ren and An Rui sat closely together at the noon meal with their heads bent together. The rank and file assumed that they were sharing romantic statements, but she was telling An Rui about the Dream Walking attack. Neither of them really knew what they could do in response to that, especially since Du Man was his superior officer. Hearing Mai Liu's voice startled them both. Her usually dulcet tones now seemed hard and edged, barely suppressed rage evident.

"Madame Song," An Rui said, leaping to feet in deference to her sex. Ai Ren rose a little more slowly to stay by his side. "Our greetings this meal time."

Mai Liu stared at them, and the odd, angry look on her face seemed to be directed primarily at Ai Ren. It reminded Ai Ren of something, though she couldn't place it at first. It was something about her eyes and the set of her mouth. "You seem to know when you wake or dream," Mai Liu told her. Her voice was brittle, and Ai Ren stopped looking at her eyes to watch her hands. There was no knife there, but Ai Ren didn't feel relieved at all.

And then the words registered, and Ai Ren stared at her in shock. "You..."

"Your eyes," Mai Liu continued. "I recognize them." She turned that gaze of hers toward An Rui, who was also watching her warily. "I can't hurt you, can I? But it's all about the mind, and pain is in the mind." She smiled at them suddenly, as if pleased. It was chilling to see. "But it's all right. Everything will be all right."

Neither felt comforted as she left to return to Song Du Man.

***

"I don't trust him," An Rui told Ai Ren, their ostrich horses off to the side of the caravan. Now that they were in Earth Kingdom grasslands, the famed speed was becoming more apparent. The caravan could only go as fast as the wagons, but even those unwieldy creations had picked up significant speed. Ai Ren had suggested telling Yusuf and Tu about the odd dream she had the night before, as well as Mai Liu's erratic behavior. An Rui had no problem about telling Yusuf about the incidents, but he drew the line at Tu.

"You said that he was part of a secret society."

"It doesn't matter about that. He doesn't take things seriously. How could we entrust something like this to him? General Saito might think he's trustworthy, but I can't take any chances."

"You might not be willing," Ai Ren began slowly. "But I am."

Before An Rui could protest, she kicked her ostrich horse into a hard gallop to pull ahead. He watched as she approached Tu, who had chosen to take a lead position rather than a leisurely pace with the wagons. He listened intently as she spoke, appearing as though she was the only creature in the world that could make him do such a thing. It was easy for her to speak with him, to posit her theory and wait to see what he thought.

Frowning, An Rui had his own ostrich horse catch up, just in time to see Tu give Ai Ren a fond smile. "I'm flattered you think me trustworthy," he was telling her. "Especially when your love does not."

"I believe in being cautious," An Rui said, interrupting. "You could use a measure."

"Your condescension, as always, An Rui, is very much unappreciated," Tu replied, an edge to his tone that the others couldn't name. It reminded An Rui of his lower rank, and fell unhappily silent at the rebuke.

Ai Ren looked between the two men with a questioning expression. "How does this help?"

"It doesn't," Tu replied. "I believe the significance of the mazes were to keep you in the dream longer, throw you off balance to reveal something." His gaze slid between the two. "I wonder why you were the subject of her interest if you are a simple Healer."

"I don't dream," An Rui said without thinking. "I haven't in years." The pronouns Tu had used finally sank in. "Wait... You think it was Song Mai Liu and not Song Du Man?"

"It is not only the locations of dreams that can be changed. Even the appearances of people can be changed to suit the needs of the Dream Walker. They are only limited by the imagination, after all. I'll confer with Yusuf, of course." There was an odd smile on his face, as if he knew something that the others didn't. "But her comments were not as innocent as they appeared, I am sure of that. Perhaps we all feared the wrong Song during the war." Tu nodded at them, the expression on his face something fearsome to behold. "This is quite the interesting development, and it does explain quite a bit."

They both watched him ride toward Yusuf in a determined manner. An Rui hoped that they hadn't just compromised the mission that General Saito had set them on.

***  
****


	3. Talk of Secrets

"We're going to have to take the steamer," Tu was telling Du Man as the retinue broke to make camp for the evening. They were near one Fire Nation outpost, but Mai Liu had actually started screaming when they approached it. An Rui had planned to compose a letter for Ai Ren's parents at the outpost to be sent via hawk messenger; in order to do that, he had volunteered to join the men visiting it to stock up on supplies and inquire about ferry services.

Mai Liu was still adamant that she wouldn't cross the waters between the Earth and Fire Nations, but there was no other way to get there. She would have to cross somewhere, and this outpost had the shortest distance over water. When Yusuf mentioned calming droughts to ease the anxiety of the trip, Mai Liu shot him a baleful glare and retreated to her tent.

In the week after the dream walking experience, Ai Ren had kept her distance from the Song family. There hadn't been any further invasions of her dreams, for which she was grateful. An Rui had continued with his own nighttime visits, leaving her deliciously tired and sore in the morning. He also had taken it upon himself to speak with the leather craftsman about new clothes for Ai Ren. Oftentimes Fire Nation women would wear light tops or vests and short skirts, keeping a lot of skin exposed. The exception to that rule was that nobility wore sumptuous robes to advertise their station. The camp leather craftsman had been pleased with the challenge of An Rui's request to make suitable clothing for Ai Ren. He had taken two nights to complete it, designing it in his mind during their daytime travels. The clothes were in the fashion of the Northern Water tribe but made from Fire Nation fabrics.

"Do we have a noble among us?" the men teased Ai Ren the first day she walked through camp or rode her ostrich horse wearing the tunic and leggings. She had merely stuck out her tongue playfully and kept going.

She was apparently coming along nicely in learning the basic forms of fire bending. She mimicked the moves without trying to bend water yet; she had seen how water whips could leave nasty bruises and welts or even break the skin if not used properly in training. It wouldn't do to harm the men teaching her. It was easy enough to tell where the water would add to the bending forms, though she would have to carry water with her if she was truly to be ready. It was one thing to have a sealed pot of water in her belongings for healing purposes. She couldn't use that supply for fighting purposes. It didn't sit right with her.

Chi came to Ai Ren breathless after running. "The children... filthy... bath in the river," she gasped, finally bending over to help control her breathing. She was older and stout, so running after two very young and mischievous children could be trying at times. It was easier to watch over them on a wagon, but after so long in close quarters, the children wanted to run and play. Ai Ren had laughed when she saw them kneeling in the dirt and playing with stones earlier, and hadn't thought much about them being dirty.

"All right, I'll help," she replied before she could stop and think about the task. Helping the nurse with the children meant that she would be near Mai Liu.

Ai Ren really needed to stop and _think_ sometimes before she acted.

The nearby river wasn't very swift flowing, and Ai Ren brought along several water skins. The men would need their travel supply refilled, and she could possibly appropriate one to use as her fighting water supply. Mai Liu actually kept her distance from Ai Ren, which the healer was grateful for. She brought clothes to wash with her, and kept occupied with that. Ai Ren had her own washing, and managed to make a game with the children so that they could assist their beleaguered nurse. They were charmed by the idea of games, and Chi picked up on that fact right away. Cheered at the thought that they could actually splash and play in the water as their bath, they instantly complied with her commands.

There were shouts in the distance, opposite from the army camp. Ai Ren couldn't tell what they were saying, but it didn't sound pleasant. She vaguely recalled a village in between their location and the Fire Nation outpost that Mai Liu hadn't wanted to stay near. Chi and children didn't seem to notice, though their game of laundry and washing was rather loud. Mai Liu's head shot up immediately, her eyes finding Ai Ren's. "Trouble."

"I think we need to go back!" Ai Ren shouted at the children. Mai Liu seemed frozen in place, as if seeing something that wasn't there. Ai Ren had the urge to get to her side and shake her until she fell to the ground, but ignored her. The children were protesting, and Ai Ren had to make them her priority. They couldn't defend themselves.

As Ai Ren corralled Jiang and Phung, their nurse went to gather Mai Liu from the riverbank. The children whined that they were cold now and didn't want to get out of the water. "It's so boring in the wagon!" Phung cried, shaking her wet shirt at Ai Ren. "Nobody plays with us, and all Father ever does is bring little trinkets when he comes to visit. It's not the same!"

"No, I'm sure it isn't the same at all," Ai Ren said soothingly, managing to push her gently away from the river. "Why don't you show me one, though? I've never seen Fire Nation toys."

The shouting was growing closer, and Jiang lagged behind to look for whatever was making the noise. His mother was still staring at the water as if in a trance, lips barely moving. It almost seemed as though she was whispering to the water, though she wasn't a bender. The nurse couldn't budge her at all.

Three disheveled and dirty men in rough, tattered clothing burst through the brush on the opposite side of the river. They stopped when they saw the women and children, then the one in the lead began to laugh. "I thought I was hearin' things," he told one of the other two behind him, a wide gap-toothed grin on his face. "C'mon, there's time f'r some fun."

Ai Ren's skin crawled; there was something about the menacing way he said fun that made her think it wouldn't be fun at all. She pushed Phung behind her and hissed at the girl to take care of her brother. Chi was growing more frantic but couldn't get Mai Liu to wake from her trance as she stared at the water. Ai Ren thought that perhaps the men in the camp would hear the screams, but these brigands could still do damage prior to their arrival.

Without consciously thinking about it, Ai Ren waded forward into the water. She ignored the shouts of the children and their nurse and only kept her focus on the leering men. They approached from the riverbank, slipping on the rocks a little in their haste to cross the river to get to her. Her hands moved in a sweeping motion as she got into the correct stance to throw a fireball. Standing in the middle of the river, there was plenty of water to fly up into her hands and shoot forward, knocking the men to their backs on the opposite bank. Ai Ren flowed into the next stance of the kata, water whipping forward sloppily. She hadn't thought to practice with water on her own, and had only mastered the motions of the kata. Adding the water to the move made it a little harder to flow from one stance to the next, as if she was struggling against an onrushing tide. Ai Ren pushed herself to continue, imagining An Rui's voice in the back of her mind. _Discipline will let you do amazing things, even if you think you can't do them._

She forced herself to complete the moves as An Rui and his men had taught her, even though her thighs burned from pushing through river water and her arms felt as though she had carried Chi the entire way from the camp. The water came up from the river and slammed into the three men repeatedly. The jets and water balls were loosely formed, great blobs of water falling to rejoin the river. Enough was left over from the force of her bending to keep the three men at bay. They were shouting something, but all Ai Ren could think of was the pinched expression on her mother's face the first time Ai Ren realized the truth of her birth. She could not let it happen to her, could not let Mai Liu or the children experience such a thing.

Hands closed over her arms from behind her, and Ai Ren struggled, screaming to be set free and for the children to run.

"It's us!" Tadashi cried. "We heard the screams."

Sure enough, more men from the company were there, wading across the river to capture the three men. Song Du Man was there to collect his children and look toward his wife and the nurse, gratitude in his eyes when he caught Ai Ren's gaze. Tu, Yusuf and An Rui were part of the expedition to the outpost and weren't back yet.

"You did it," Tadashi was saying, taking in the trembling of her lips and hands. "You kept them all safe, Ai Ren." He laid a respectful hand on her shoulder, as if understanding that she needed something to ground her in the moment. "You're safe now."

It wasn't what she wanted to hear. She wanted to hear An Rui's steady _You're okay_ over and over until she believed it to be true. She wanted his arms around her, his heartbeat under her ear in a reassuring rhythm. But Tadashi was doing his best and he was friendly enough, and eventually her heart slowed down to something resembling normal.

"They're safe," Ai Ren repeated, looking back toward the children.

"Yes," Tadashi assured her. "That was amazing to see."

"I didn't do it right," she protested. "I made mistakes and the form was all wrong..."

"You've been with us for a little over a month and haven't been training as long. Today was the first time you bent water to fight." Tadashi grinned at her. "You did better than I did, the first time I bent fire."

Ai Ren blinked. "Really?"

"Really. Now you know how the bending feels, so you can focus better when you train."

Training. Oh. She could focus on that. That was normal. That was ordinary. She had done much training already, and she could still recite her old training schedule in her sleep. She could do that, fall into the mindless routine of it. She could do that.

It was amazing to have the support of the men and feel their protection. She wasn't less than they were by any means, and they treated her with the utmost respect. Even the men that weren't impressed by the Captain or An Rui regarded her on her own merits. It was an odd feeling, since she had felt like one of a number of faceless healer trainees back in the Northern Water tribe. Ai Ren hadn't felt as though anything she did was special.

This was a good feeling. It really did seem as though everything in her life was falling into place.

***

An Rui crushed Ai Ren to him as soon as he returned to camp. Their swiftest messenger had run to the outpost and found the team in the market; as An Rui had only intended to send letters, he returned immediately and left the other men behind to obtain supplies and ferry passage. "Thank the spirits," he murmured into her hair, not caring who saw the depth of his emotion. He could be stoic later, but right now he needed to feel her in his arms and know that she was all right. "If anything had happened..."

"It didn't," Ai Ren told him in a hoarse whisper, knowing how close it could have been if she wasn't a bender. She could feel the tremors start again, the weariness in her spine and the wish to collapse into a pile of tears and have him pull her together. "It didn't. We're fine. _I'm_ fine. I'm okay. I promise you, I'm okay."

"I know, but..." He squeezed her tighter. "I needed to see for myself."

Ai Ren nodded against his chest, feeling safe. She inhaled the scent of him mixed with oiled leather, sweat and the ostrich horse he had ridden at breakneck pace to get back to camp. It comforted her as much as the feel of his arms around her. "Tadashi thought I should practice with water now."

"Yes," An Rui agreed. "Perhaps see if there are water benders to teach you specific things, too. I can teach you what I know, but it's for fire bending. Fire and water are so different, I wouldn't know if it's really helping."

Ai Ren looked up at him then, seeing the self recrimination on his face. "Yes, it did. That helped me to survive it, to start to think of bending as a way of possibly defending myself or attacking someone else. I'd never thought of it that way before. I just need practice and training." She gave him an almost shy smile. "With you, I hope."

He smiled, eyes crinkling in the corners and dimples appearing in his cheeks. "Of course. Anything you wish."

The rest of the outpost party returned to camp the following morning. They had their supplies for the rest of the journey as well as passage on the ferry leaving for the Fire Nation the following day. Mai Liu looked ready to revolt, but Du Man's fierce expression quelled her.

"Careful," Yusuf told Ai Ren and An Rui over dinner. "Agitation can wake a sleeping dragon. I would guard my dreams carefully tonight."

Understanding the warning for what it was, Ai Ren napped in the afternoon with the intention to remain awake throughout the night. An Rui offered to help in that endeavor, just as she hoped that he would, and gave her a knowing smile. Hers was much warmer and private.

She was drowsy that night thanks to An Rui's ministrations. Sated but still awake, she lay curled on her furs with her fiancé beside her. _Fiancé._ The word thrilled her in a primal sort of way; she had never been the sort of girl to pin her entire hopes on a man, if only because she had never thought it was a possibility for her future. But there was the thrill of knowing that he cared for her and was pleased to call her his, that he saw a family and life together as one of his goals now that the war was over. She didn't need him to be happy, but having him with her made everything feel that much better. She had someone to share her life with, someone to talk to about the observations she made on the journey, her thoughts about the secrets she was holding and her hopes for a quiet and loving future.

As An Rui turned in his sleep, Ai Ren smiled to herself. Mai Liu might have terrified her with that talk of being half of a whole, but Ai Ren felt that she had something better.

An Rui murmured softly in his sleep, and Ai Ren snuggled closer to his side. She was just brushing his hair away from his temple when he called her name in an agonized tone of voice, as if trapped in a nightmare.

 _I'll be fine,_ he had promised. _I don't dream anymore. I'll watch over you._

She had thought this would be a quick catnap because of physical exhaustion, but now she worried that Mai Liu was drawing him into an unnatural dream. How could she counter a Dream Walker if she didn't even understand how it was done?

Ai Ren shook his shoulder roughly and called his name. She didn't speak loudly, afraid her voice would carry in the night. She wasn't ashamed if they were caught together, as they were affianced now, but at the same time the whispers likely would grow unbearable. She didn't want to tarnish An Rui's reputation for adhering to details and didn't want to start out her new life with him being known as a loose woman.

"An Rui, wake up!" she cried, voice pitched a little louder but not enough to carry. She straddled his waist and bent down directly to his ear. "You're dreaming," she told him desperately. "You're dreaming and I'm perfectly safe. You need to wake up!"

An Rui didn't wake. His eyes moved behind closed lids, and his lips parted as if speaking though there was no voice. It looked like he was telling someone to run, and she could only think that perhaps he was warning _her_ to run. He was trapped in this dream, whatever it was, looking more and more distressed as time went on. Shaking him wasn't helping, and Ai Ren looked about her tent in despair. How could she wake him?

Her eyes lit on the water skin near her daytime clothing. Quickly she bent the water out of the skin and let the temperature drop to near freezing. It was a trick she and the other girls often played on each other when concentrating too hard on chi patterns or sensing internal anatomy, and it often led to shrieking and broken focus.

The freezing water was like a slap in the face for An Rui, waking him quickly. He sputtered and flailed, nearly striking Ai Ren in the face. She leaned back and pulled the water out of his hair, clothes and furs, then sent it back into her water skin. She breathed a sigh of relief when he stared at her incredulously, his eyes very much looking like his own and not Mai Liu's. "What was that for?" he cried.

"You were dreaming," she told him, reaching back to cup his face. "You looked afraid and worried and you called my name. I couldn't wake you up any other way."

An Rui froze. "So that was a dream?" he asked, half in wonder. "We were near my boyhood home, and the fields were dried and cracked. You were helping to water the fields, and my parents were telling me that I had something important to do. I had to tell them so they could help me complete the mission." He frowned as he remembered something else, a hazy detail that was starting to come into sharp relief now that he was trying to remember it. "I told you to run," he said abruptly, looking up at her in concern. "Someone was coming to hurt you, and I told you to run. I don't remember the person's face, or if it was even a man or woman. I heard you calling for me, and I locked the person in the granary to look for you. Then I woke."

"So you trapped whoever it was?"

"Yes, but—"

There was a high pitched scream. It seemed to come from the Song family's part of the encampment. Their eyes locked, then they scrambled into more appropriate clothing. An Rui slipped out first, heading toward the Song family tents, and Ai Ren followed afterward.

Jiang and Phung were screaming, and the little girl's voice was more shrill with terror. Jiang seemed to be screaming just because his sister was. "Ma!" she was screaming. "Ma won't wake! I had a nightmare and she won't wake! She's barely breathing!"

Song Du Man looked haggard, with deep circles under his eyes as he ran his hands through his hair, pulling it up into sharp, jagged clumps. "She needed calm, she said," he was telling Yusuf, voice dull. "She promised she wouldn't take too much. She only needed to sleep. The crossing tomorrow worried her, and she couldn't sleep..."

An Rui and Ai Ren exchanged worried glances. They found Tu nearby, quick eyes observing everything. Yusuf was placating Song Du Man, and Tu was clearly listening and looking in on Mai Liu. Her breaths were so shallow she nearly looked dead.

"We know who our walker is, then," Tu said as he came up behind An Rui and Ai Ren. His gaze upon them was distant and impersonal, making Ai Ren shiver. "Because she would have targeted either of you. She knew there was a reason you both were here, and it wasn't for her continued health. The two of you simply didn't belong, and General Saito's word was never good enough for her."

"What will happen now?"

"It rather depends on what you did to her in the dreams, darling," Tu told Ai Ren.

"She wasn't the target," An Rui said stiffly. Tu turned startled eyes toward An Rui. "Somehow, I dreamt tonight. I never saw her face, but it must have been her that I locked away just before I woke up."

Yusuf managed to calm Du Man and get him and the children settled back to bed. Tu tersely got him up to speed without overtly mentioning Dream Walking. "Ah," he murmured, and laced his fingers over his stomach in his familiar contemplative pose. "Well, that explains matters."

"What do you mean?" Ai Ren asked, frowning in confusion.

"You see, the dreaming potions in small doses can be calming draughts. That was also the excuse that Song Du Man used to keep some of it when he swore to me that he no longer did such things as part of the war effort." Yusuf sighed as he looked back toward the Song household. "The times I've tried my own draughts..."

"You've walked as well?" Ai Ren asked, stunned.

Yusuf snorted. "Not as such. But a good potions master will sample their wares to judge its purity. And I know that my potions are very pure, giving very clear dreams. The times I've tried them, however, I could not precisely direct _where_ I dreamt. I could keep a location in mind, like a rough estimate, but I could not choose one specific dreamer. It's an imprecise talent, I'm afraid. And it could be that she set her sights on you, my dear," he said sadly, looking at Ai Ren, "but found your beloved instead."

"And now that I've locked her inside a dream?"

"Now she will not wake. Or if she does, her mind will be locked away where we cannot reach it."

"What if you built the same dream?" Ai Ren asked. "Could you unlock her then?"

Yusuf shrugged. "I don't know if it's ever been done. But why would you want to do such a thing? If you set her free, she will only wish to harm you."

"Because no one deserves to be trapped like that. For all we know, this could be why her mind broke in the first place." Concern was etched into every feature, driving home for the men that she was a healer, not a warrior. It wasn't in her nature to leave someone in pain, even if the others might think it was useful.

"Ai Ren," Tu began in a no nonsense tone, "I will not argue with you, because you can believe what you like. But when a situation is too dangerous, you need to know when to sit it out. This is one of those times. The way she was when awake... It's a mercy."

She could see that he didn't say that to be mean or spiteful, but that he truly believed it. "I don't agree. There's time, we can still do this. She doesn't have to be lost."

Yusuf shook his head. "She'd been under for far too long already, and it's been that way before. Du Man just admitted – without saying the words, of course – that she had difficulty waking in the past. She wasn't the same afterward. She grew distant, almost crazed. He tried to go back to fix matters, but then she grew into the woman you met."

Ai Ren looked at him in shock. It felt as if her hands were shaking or that she was chilled. It almost seemed as though she would never be warm again. An Rui remained silent, but he was a comforting presence at her back. "You can't believe it's impossible," she protested weakly. "The children... We can't just leave them to their father."

"It's not our place," Tu reminded her, not unkindly. "Their father determines their fates."

"But..."

"He would not appreciate our interference. He's effectively already lost his wife."

Yusuf sighed as Tu nodded. "This talent broke her. Perhaps she was doing this because she thought you would harm Du Man or the children. I cannot say."

Ai Ren thought of her eyes, the fierce expression on her face when she spoke. _They're not my children. My real children are waiting for me. But you still can't have them!_

There were no difficulties getting to the ferry the next day. They loaded Mai Liu's sleeping form onto a pallet and kept her in a private room for the duration of the crossing.

There were no further incursions on anyone's dreams.

***

Ai Ren wandered past the Song rooms ofnthe second day of the ferry ride. Another two days and they would be in the Fire Nation capital. An Rui had entrance papers to speak with Fire Lord Zuko. Their engagement now was a good cover for her presence, but she was still terrified at the thought of being the lone water bender in the Fire Nation. Her primary skills were for healing, not fighting. She could hold her own against non-bending bandits while standing in a river, but Ai Ren didn't kid herself. She was an utter novice at fighting with her bending, and couldn't rely on it for safety.

Perhaps because of her thoughts about the river attack, Ai Ren paused outside of Mai Liu's rooms. She pushed open the door and stood next to Mai Liu's pallet. Her breathing was shallow and she didn't have any of the fluttering eye movements that told her someone was dreaming. If she was still in An Rui's dream, she was so far down she was nearly lost. Ai Ren wondered if she had left pieces of herself behind in other dreams, ghosts of who she had been. If so, that could be one reason why her mind fractured.

Mai Liu looked so very young and almost innocent while lying on the pallet. Ai Ren knelt beside her and was bending water out of her skin before she even really thought about it, and the cool water coated her hands. She touched Mai Liu's head and closed her eyes to better visualize what she would find there.

Nothing. Ai Ren could sense absolutely nothing in her mind or chi lines.

"You can't help her," Song Du Man said from the doorway, startling Ai Ren. He watched impassively as the water fell from her hands and splashed his wife's face and hair. Ai Ren's concentration had broken, but she was able to bend the water back into her skin. "She's beyond anyone's help now. She's all but dead." He strode forward, eyes on his wife's still form. "I suppose you really do just want to help, no matter what the cost. She claimed you harbored secrets. She thought you were the one to be wary of, that you truly had no place on this trip." His eyes raked over her form, still bent beside Mai Liu. "But if you held secrets that could destroy us, you wouldn't be trying to wake her from her dreams. You wouldn't keep trying to do the right thing, even if it would hurt you."

Ai Ren's eyes were wide with confusion. "What are you talking about, sir?"

Apparently Song Du Man wasn't entirely innocent of dream walking himself. The realization made her blood freeze; he was standing between her and the door, and no one had known which direction she had wandered in. Her only protection was her water skin and his own honor, however tarnished it was.

"Of course you wouldn't know," he said, almost to himself. "You wouldn't understand. There's so much out there, a whole different world, and you've seen none of it yet." He looked at her with an intense gaze that reminded her of Mai Liu during the dreams or her more crazed states. "I could teach you. I could open your mind to the possibilities." He smiled, almost the way Mai Liu had. "It's all in the mind, after all. Pain, love, worry, fear, wonder, awe... All of it is in the mind, and all you have to do is wake up."

Ai Ren thought of repeating herself or running past him. An Rui hadn't been entirely sure who he had locked away, after all. What if Du Man had been there as well? What if part of _his_ mind was in that granary, and parts of Mai Liu had persisted inside of Du Man's mind?

"Why don't you wake her up?" she asked, backing away from Mai Liu. She acted as if the still body would suddenly reach out and grasp her leg or pull her down. It was ridiculous, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Du Man's secrets were important and would be the downfall of the entire party heading to the capitol.

Du Man looked down at Mai Liu, a reverent but distant look on his face. Ai Ren used the opportunity to creep backward and further away from them both, toward the door. "She is lovely, isn't she? My beautiful spring blossom. She never liked to think she was wrong about anything, but in this she was wrong. There was no secret, was there, Ai Ren?" She froze as he turned around and looked at her with sharp eyes. Now he looked almost dangerous, as if he could take a fire whip and wrap it around her throat to silence her forever. "There is no secret, nothing to tell anyone. Is there?"

Ai Ren shook her head mutely, eyes wide with barely suppressed fear. "I just wanted to help her, Captain Song. It's what I do."

"Ah, yes." He turned his back to her and looked down at Mai Liu, tucking his arms into the sleeves of his robes. "A little healer girl from the Northern Water Tribe. What could you know that is so important to risk this?"

Though Ai Ren wanted to bristle at him in anger, she kept her tongue. "I don't understand your meaning, sir."

He whirled around, eyes sharp and angry. _"Tell me what you know!"_

Stumbling backward, out of the room, Ai Ren blinked back tears of helpless frustration. "I felt nothing," she snapped. "Her mind isn't there. I didn't feel _anything,_ and I can feel what sleep is like. This is not sleep."

Du Man seemed to deflate and his eyes took on that faraway cast that Mai Liu had. "Oh. Oh. I see." He nodded absently, waving her off as if he had summoned her in the first place. "Yes, I understand now. Her mind isn't there. It's somewhere else, hiding, resting. She's waiting for me, I know. I'll find her again. I'll show her the way home."

Finding him deeply disturbing, Ai Ren fled.

***

It wasn't difficult to avoid the Song family after that and stay close to An Rui. He cherished the attention and lavished it back on her a thousand fold. That let the time pass without too much anxiety, and before they all knew it, the ferry was arriving in the Fire Nation capital.

Tu and Yusuf disappeared as soon as they could. Most of the army men were absorbed back into the Fire Nation ranks; a handful gave An Rui the names of their home towns so that he could eventually send hawks or visit. He seemed a little startled, not expecting that. His prior unit hadn't particularly cared to spend time with him, so it was a new experience. He gave his parents' home town as contact information, since he had never settled down in one place since joining the Fire Nation army. Ai Ren may have thought it was a sign of excessive dedication, but kept her opinion to herself. There were other things to worry about, namely the presentation before the Fire Lord himself.

The capitol was a large, sprawling urban center, the palace at the city's heart. The palace was a sumptuous place, eclipsing Chief Arnook's holdings in the north. Though they held letters of introduction from General Saito, Ai Ren still felt like an interloper. The letters allowed them access to the throne room itself, rather than courtiers meant to limit the masses from directly seeing the Fire Lord. She couldn't help but wring her hands or fidget with a fold of her tunic out of nervousness, but An Rui caught her hand in his. "I've got you," he murmured, voice pitched low so that only she could hear it. "We'll be fine."

The doorway leading to the throne room was immense, inlaid with gold and lacquered shells in the shape of a fire breathing dragon. The sight of it didn't help ease Ai Ren's nerves in the slightest, and she clutched An Rui's hand even tighter. As the doors were opened, they were formally announced by one of the Fire Lord's staff members

"Corporal Shi An Rui of the Northern Battalions and Healer Mei Ai Ren of the Northern Water Tribe, here by invitation of General Saito."

Ai Ren quailed inside, though she walked with her head held high and her steps even. It was rather like walking when the other children were whispering about her in the north. The same pretended indifference and controlled breathing techniques kept her from simply fleeing in the opposite direction. An Rui seemed to be nervous too, though he hid his discomfort well. He was used to being in odd situations and having to appear stoic and in control.

Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Mai were seated on the dais, a low bank of fires burning at its edge. Looking at them, Ai Ren was suddenly struck by how young they looked. They were in their teens, but Zuko's eyes seemed to carry the weight of responsibility and knowledge well. The horrific scar marring his face stood out in stark relief against his pale skin, though his golden eye in the midst of the scar didn't seem damaged. Mai's appearance was impeccable, with a bored expression on her face. She was in the long sleeved robes that nobles and royalty seemed to wear, and Ai Ren wondered if Mai was the kind to hide weapons the way Mai Liu did. She felt less out of place in her clothing, and seeing the youth of the rulers helped her relax a little. She knew that teenagers could be capricious and absolute power could be a corrupting influence. She didn't get the feeling that these two would be that way.

An Rui gave her hand a slight squeeze in support as they stopped and waited to be acknowledged by the Fire Lord. He let her hand go and slowly reached for Saito's letters of introduction. "Most honored Fire Lord and Lady. I have letters from General Saito."

The guards had tensed imperceptibly when he reached into his tunic, then relaxed when they saw the parchment scrolls with the wax seal on them. An Rui gave them to an attendant, who then walked up to the Fire Lord and presented them. An Rui and Ai Ren waited as Fire Lord Zuko slit the seals and read the letters carefully, then gave them to the Fire Lady to read as well. They watched carefully, but Zuko remained impassive as he read. Mai lifted one manicured eyebrow as she read one of the letters, but otherwise she was impassive as well.

"Tell us the story you have come to tell. The others in this room can be trusted implicitly."

An Rui looked around the sumptuous throne room, taking in the faces of Zuko's advisors. He didn't recognize them at all, but hadn't really expected to. He was pleased that Ai Ren managed it a little more circumspectly, no change in expression on her face. There were two people that looked alike, possibly siblings, dressed in formal blue clothing. An Rui guessed they were Water Tribe, though their dress didn't resemble the finery of the North. One young girl beside the Water Tribe girl was dressed in green courtly clothing. The girl in green was blind but seemed to be entirely too aware of her surroundings. Beside the Water Tribe young man was a slim young woman with short hair tied back from her face. Her clothing was a darker green than the blind girl, and she carried herself like a warrior. There was a young man standing next to the thrones dressed in orange and yellow, with blue arrow tattoos on his hands and bald head.

"The Avatar?" An Rui blurted, stunned. Ai Ren gasped as the Avatar nodded and smiled.

Fire Lady Mai tapped the throne with the parchment letters impatiently. An Rui started as she huffed out a breath. "Yes, they dressed so you'd recognize them. Start talking."

Ai Ren looked at An Rui and gave him a faint smile before stepping forward. "I'm actually the one that has to speak, your majesty. The Corporal was meant to protect me on the journey, in case anyone discovered what I had seen." In fits and starts Ai Ren began to tell them about the day she wandered into the tundra and heard Feng Mu Rui and his man Bai Bao Tien plotting with General Ko Bal to take down the current Fire Lord and reinstate Fire Lord Ozai.

"General Saito sent us overland so that I would not look suspicious," Ai Ren concluded. Her voice had been fairly steady throughout most of the tale, though she desperately wanted a drink of water by the end of it. "You needed to know," she said softly. "They mean to kill you."

"You're Water Tribe," Fire Lord Zuko said mildly, eyes assessing. "Why should I believe you?"

Ai Ren bristled, as did An Rui beside her. Before he could say a word, Ai Ren snapped. "You know what? Don't. I did what I thought was right and I trusted in General Saito to do the right thing. I trusted in the men that protected us on the journey and the White Lotus members. I don't care if you believe me or not. I told you what I heard. Whatever you do with that information has nothing to do with me."

"Ai Ren," An Rui hissed in a pained tone. "Stop."

But rather than bellowing in anger the way An Rui had thought he might, the Fire Lord started laughing. Fire Lady Mai still looked bored, but somehow her expression was less hostile. The others in the gallery were amused, some laughing. He and Ai Ren exchanged confused looks. "I don't understand," he murmured.

"General Saito mentioned that there was talk you were outspoken, Healer Mei," Zuko said, lips twitching with a smile. "The talk in this case is correct, isn't it?"

Ai Ren flushed. "They were bullies and deserved every nasty thing I called them." She didn't mention how long it took until she snapped, the kind of things they said before she broke and acted on her anger. It wasn't becoming of a Healer, and she wasn't exactly proud of her behavior. At the same time, she couldn't regret it, since the mocking had dropped off sharply after making examples of the mean spirited boys that had teased her.

"I don't doubt that. Sometimes people have a hard time remembering just how tough women can be," he said, lips curling into a smile as he gave his wife a sidelong glance. Her lips quirked in amusement, but she didn't say anything. "And Corporal," he said, voice rising slightly. "You simply accompanied her."

The implication was that his duty was now over and he should leave. An Rui bristled slightly at that order. "Mei Ai Ren is my fiancée." He inclined his head toward the dais with respect but didn't move. "Her fate is mine as well."

"And what fate would that be?" Zuko asked, no inflection in his tone.

An Rui and Ai Ren looked at each other, not sure what to say. "We haven't..." Ai Ren began uncertainly. "I didn't think of what would happen after we got here."

"It seemed more important to get here safely first," An Rui agreed.

The royal couple looked toward the blind girl. "They're telling the truth," she said, face turned unerringly toward them. "Even down to not planning ahead past this point," she added with a cheeky grin.

Zuko smiled. "Well, I have an idea. The two of you will remain guests for a time while I process this information that you have brought me. For your safety, it might be best if you had a guide in the palace."

"That's really not necessary..." An Rui began, flustered. "We'll probably retire to the country..."

"I'm sure my uncle would love to discuss your travels and life in the Northern Water tribe capital," Zuko continued as if An Rui hadn't spoken. The blind girl gleefully jumped down to get him, exposing her bare feet as she lifted the edge of her dress.

She returned soon after with an older man dressed in Fire Nation finery. He approached the couple with a jovial smile that widened when he saw Ai Ren's necklace. "Ah... Are you familiar with the White Lotus Gambit in pai sho?" he asked.

An Rui frowned. It had to be something related to that secret society Yusuf and Tu had alluded to, but he never did learn the proper answer. "My father meant to teach it to me, but I joined the army before he could."

Zuko's uncle Iroh nodded sagely. "Well. I can correct that deficit. Shi Tai Rui was a very capable officer before he was forced into retirement due to his injuries. It was a sad day when he was no longer able to bend," Iroh said. "I remember him well. You are a credit to him."

An Rui blinked. "You knew my father?" he blurted.

"I was his commanding officer," Iroh said proudly. "Come. Why don't we talk about this and play pai sho while we drink tea? It's very calming and good for your health." He inclined his head toward Ai Ren. "While you may have a healer on your side, prevention is very important as well, don't you think?"

Nonplused, the young couple left the throne room with Iroh and left the others to discuss the information they had brought with them.

***  
***


	4. Within The Capitol

Somehow it wasn't very surprising that Iroh knew every member of the Order of the White Lotus. An Rui's father had retired from the army when injuries prevented him from ever bending again. He had turned to farming because his pension was rather small and he hadn't liked being bored. An Rui took after his father that way, which Iroh found amusing. He presented An Rui with another white lotus pai sho tile and began to teach him the white lotus gambit in the game. "The true purpose of the order is to protect the world, regardless of nation. We believe in the Avatar, that he will bring balance to all of the elements." He paused and looked at both An Rui and Ai Ren with a calm expression. "It might have been treason to say so, but to have Fire dominate all other elements is wrong."

"What will happen now?" Ai Ren asked, watching the white lotus pattern unfold on the pai sho table. It was nearly ten months after the end of the Hundred Year War. Most areas had finished their reconstruction efforts. Others still had considerable damage left.

"There must be balance," Iroh said, moving another tile into position. He smiled when An Rui moved the final tile into his only allowed slot. "Excellent. You do learn quickly."

"Why is this important?" he asked, impatience coloring his tone. "The war is over. The Avatar is alive and well, and his job is to provide balance."

"And you bring news of unrest, treason and murder."

Ai Ren could feel the blood drain from her face. An Rui stilled as he contemplated Iroh's quiet words. "You think the Order of the White Lotus is still needed."

Iroh nodded. "Now more than ever, my young friend. It will take time to teach you all of the mysteries in the Order, but this much is clear: you value justice and honor, no matter the means of getting there. You will do what is necessary."

"Is that important?"

The older man smiled and nodded. "Of course it is. Tea?"

Startled, they both simply nodded and watched as he refilled their cups. He truly was gifted at brewing an excellent cup of tea. "So we're here in the capitol until this is done?"

"Oh, he's already started making his moves up north. But you see, General Saito is quite skilled at the game of pai sho." Iroh gave An Rui a thin lipped smile. "From what you know of the game, why do you think you are here?"

An Rui lifted the last tile he had moved on the board, one that generally was held to be one of the most important pieces. In its place on the board however, it had nowhere else to go and was pinned. "Because this is General Ko Bal. He's being maneuvered."

"Bright young man," Iroh said with approval. He took the tile from An Rui's hand as he smiled warmly. "There's hope for the next generation after all."

***

"I need that potion."

"No!" An Rui cried, catching hold of Ai Ren's shoulders. "You could be broken or lost, just as Song Mai Liu is!"

"I think she's in there somewhere. She's locked away, but she's in there, and I will bet you an entire courtier's weight in gold that she knows something about General Ko Bal. There's a reason why Du Man couldn't complete his mission for Ko Bal. If anyone knows it, she does."

"You can't go in there and still come out whole."

She could hear the desperation in his voice, though it was as quietly controlled as ever. He feared for her more than for himself. Feeling the same way, she caught his hand and pressed it against her cheek. "I have something to come back to."

"You can't," he said softly. "It can't be done."

"I have a reputation to uphold as a healer, you know."

"Ai Ren..."

"Whatever else I am, I'm a healer first. I won't be remembered as some castoff girl that the children made fun of for her odd colored eyes, or a girl that overheard a conversation she shouldn't have. I'm going to be remembered as a healer, and I need to do the right thing. I was supposed to be there to take care of her. I'd be remiss if I left her in that state."

Closing his eyes, An Rui nodded. "We'll need to find out where the Song family lives. He may not welcome the intrusion."

"Welcome or not, I mean to do this," Ai Ren replied with a smile. "And who knows? It just might be the best thing for him."

***

Tu and Yusuf also thought that she was being ridiculous, but offered to go with her and An Rui to be sure that nothing untoward happened to her sleeping form. Song Du Man stared at her with wide eyes, as if she had betrayed him by arriving at his home. "One more try," she told him quietly. "One more chance to find her."

"But you can't," Du Man said, shaking his head. "You don't understand." She watched as he paced in front of her in an agitated manner, running his hand through his hair. "You're not prepared for this!"

"She visited me in a dream," Ai Ren said firmly. "It's only right to return the favor."

There was nothing left in Du Man when she said those words. It was like watching a plant husk collapse if the water was dried out of it. He was nothing now, just skin and bone and helplessness in front of her, needing her to draw him out of his own misery. He wasn't the strong soldier he had been when they first met. Losing Mai Liu to dreaming had shattered the last of his resolve; if the war had still been raging, he and his entire company would have been slaughtered, as he couldn't command anyone now.

The potion didn't taste very good, though there was no aftertaste. Ai Ren felt calmer already, any anxiety about meeting Mai Liu fading quickly. She saw An Rui look at her in distress, Tu and Yusuf watching her closely.

 _No turning back,_ she thought as she began to dream.

Ai Ren washed up on a beach with clean white sand and clear blue water behind her. She was in her comfortable Northern Water Tribe clothing, but the water weighted it all down. Her limbs were sluggish, and she shed her outer layers to be able to move more freely. Looking around, Ai Ren could see a crumbling city in the distance, something that looked vaguely like the Fire Nation capitol. It was turning into the white sand, empty windows mocking her. Mai Liu had found her so easily in her own dream, and Ai Ren was going to have a horrible time of it.

_Draw me a maze in one minute that takes two minutes to solve._

Blinking, Ai Ren looked again at the city. Its buildings looked like it was made out of blocks, and there was a definite pattern to the buildings' arrangement. It looked almost like the forts she had built with the children back home, ice blocks easily formed from her bending.

She headed for the heart of the maze, reaching it much faster than she thought she would. There was a large white tower there, a heavy metal door in front of her. "I wouldn't, if I were you," a voice came behind her. When Ai Ren turned, the voice belonged to a Du Man with guilt and pain etched across his features. "No one comes back from there. That's where dreams go to die."

"Are you going to help me?"

"I can't."

"Then step aside," she said forcefully. "That's my patient in there."

The shadow of Du Man blinked in surprise then disappeared into a wisp of black smoke. Ai Ren stepped forward, pushing against invisible barriers that fought to keep her from the door in the tower. It felt as though it was scouring her skin from her bones, flaying her alive. But she pushed through, shutting her eyes against the onslaught. Hands forward, she progressed with an agonized shout. "Mai Liu!"

Ai Ren tumbled forward and fetched up against the door. She couldn't hear anything beyond it, and it opened easily under her touch. The room was made of black lacquered tile, and there was a bed in the rear of the room. Lying beneath crisp white sheets was Mai Liu. Beside her the old men she had seen in the tundra stood, each holding a wicked knife inscribed with the symbol for fire. "Fire cleanses," one of them said as he carved into her chest, and Ai Ren thought perhaps it was Feng Mu Rui.

"We are all fire benders, Song Mai Liu," General Ko Bal crooned. "Fire is the most important element of them all."

The other man must have been Bai Bao Tien. He leaned in to hover over Mai Liu's frame. "It will burn the unworthy from this world and leave it to those capable of running it. You could be a great asset for us, you and your husband. There is a title waiting for you if you succeed."

Mai Liu didn't move, and the three men continued to whisper of sedition and treason, of bringing Fire Lord Ozai to power. "Your husband failed us, Mai Liu. He could not bring us Ozai's prison location. He couldn't give us what we wanted. You do realize what I do to those that fail me?" Ko Bal said, voice hard as metal. "You must do this to save him and whatever is left of his tattered reputation. It's all that's left once a man dies, you know."

Over and over they whispered to her, telling her of the horrible ways they could destroy her husband's career, that her children would be destitute. Ko Bal was cutting into her face, inscribing the symbol for fire. A soft whimper escaped her lips, and Ai Ren could see her fist clutching at the sheet, fingers twitching in pain. As soon as her skin healed beneath their ministrations, they began cutting again.

No wonder she had gone mad.

Ai Ren found herself flicking a water whip at them, wielding it much the same way An Rui used his fire whip. Being a dream, it was perfect instead of awkward.

Extinguishing their flames and striking their knives from their hands, Ai Ren advanced. Water flowed in from behind her in a cascading wave. Slinging water ball after water ball at them, Ai Ren didn't wait for them to recover. The temperature of the water dropped sharply, nearly icing over. It cooled their core body temperature, making it a little more difficult for them to produce their fire. Every precious second counted, and it allowed Ai Ren to pull at Mai Liu with another rolling water whip, yanking her out of the bed.

Mai Liu looked at Ai Ren with large, troubled eyes. "I never gave you cause to help me."

"Unlike them," she said grimly, looking at the shadowy shapes of Mai Liu's demons, "I don't take pleasure in causing pain. My role is a healer's. I don't have to like you to help you."

Chastened, Mai Liu nodded. "They seek to gather influence, create their own army. They are not pleased with peace."

"Then we'll have to teach them the benefits of peace," Ai Ren said coolly. She threw a wave of water at the three men, its temperature just above freezing. A little more concentration and then they were caught in a sheet of ice.

Dizzy and feeling about to fall over, Ai Ren staggered out of the tower room and shut the door with Mai Liu's help. Even though this was a dream, she had never been able to bend that much water at once. The adrenaline rush was dropping, leaving her shaky and weak. She leaned against the door heavily, looking at the older woman. "So now what?" she asked her, trying not to pant or shake.

"And now, we wake."

Ai Ren didn't even have time to scream before Mai Liu slit her throat.

***

Gasping awake, Ai Ren shot up in the pallet. An Rui was at her side in a moment, cradling her and assuring her that she was okay. Tu and Yusuf watched over them anxiously, though Du Man's eyes were fixed on Mai Liu. "What happened?" he asked, not even sparing a glance at Ai Ren. "Why isn't she—?"

Mai Liu woke, eyes opening. She sat up with more panache than Ai Ren had, eyes appearing sharper and more intelligent than she had been in months. Not looking at her husband, she turned on the pallet and faced Ai Ren. "You will stop them, won't you?" she asked, voice clear as a bell. The healer could see why Du Man was so enamored of her, why those that had known her before had said she was lovely. She carried herself with such poise and seemed to be everything that Ai Ren had once wished she could be.

"With everything I have," Ai Ren promised. Her hands tightened on An Rui's arms, steadying herself. She was quivering slightly, as if she had truly bent that much water against opponents in the real world. It had simply never been an option to fail, so she hadn't considered the possibility. It was rather like the incident at the river. Too much had been riding on her abilities, so she simply kept pushing herself to complete her task.

Mai Liu closed her eyes and nodded, then reached out for Du Man. He caught her hand and knelt beside her, burying his face in her hair. He made a soft keening sound as he clutched at her shoulders. Mai Liu spoke softly, just for his ears, and the others got up and moved aside to give them a modicum of privacy. "The conspirators," Ai Ren said softly, "had charged them to find allies and to find the location of Fire Lord Ozai." She looked at the three men in front of her and suppressed a shiver. "They must know dream walking as well, because they left shades of themselves in her mind to torment her. It must be why she went mad."

"And now?" An Rui asked in concern.

"I froze them in a sheet of ice and locked them in the cell they kept her in," she replied with a faint smile. "I've never bent so much before."

"No wonder you're exhausted, darling," Tu said, moving to fetch a chair. "It's all in your mind, yes, but there are still effects from dream walking in such a manner."

"So we have more proof of Ko Bal's treachery," An Rui said, looking at all of the others. "We can present it to the current Fire Lord..."

"He may not believe in dream walking," Yusuf said quietly, shaking his head. "It is not well known. The prior Fire Lord didn't even know about it. The development of such a weapon—for that is what it is, a weapon—was not part of the war council meetings. It was something talked about in whispers, something meant to frighten the upper ranks that might have been aware of its existence. It was a way to gather information from sleeping enemies, to be able to discover the weaknesses and exploit them." Yusuf looked back at the Songs sadly. "It was meant to break the enemy, and on that count it worked far too well."

"Then we need to destroy the potions, the research, whatever is left of it," Ai Ren said. "We tell the Fire Lord, since he needs to know of this. He needs to know what had happened in his kingdom, that there are those who would fight this peace and leave the entire world at war for their own personal gain. Too many lives are at stake." She nodded at the Songs. "They are just two, and we don't even know how many others."

Tu appeared deep in thought. "The General was right about you. His instincts have been unparalleled throughout the war, whether for enemies or allies. It's been invaluable for the Order and recruiting new members. He vouchsafed for the both of you, suggesting that you join. He felt that your goal would be for protecting the balance of the world, regardless of nation. That is the purpose of our Order." He met her gaze, then An Rui's. "We can discuss this in more depth once the danger has passed. For now, it's enough to know that you mean to do this."

"The son, Feng Rui Bang, is innocent," Ai Ren said softly. "Would he be brought down along with his father?"

"We don't know if he is truly innocent," Tu said. "I would not wish to walk through his dreams, but it might be a possibility to confirm that."

"No. We can't use this weapon against them and claim that we have a higher moral ground," An Rui said before Ai Ren could. "It's too dangerous, too much of a slippery slope. If we say that going into Rui Bang's mind is for his own good, what's the next excuse? Where do we draw the line before we lose control and destroy everything we're trying to protect? How do we keep ourselves separate from Ko Bal and the others if we do the very thing they are?"

Yusuf gave him a faint smile. "Well spoken, Shi An Rui," he said quietly. "But that is just one of the very questions our Order means to ask. The discovery has been made. The technique is there. Who are we to judge it?"

"I judge its use," he replied. "I judge the ones using the technique. It's like a sword," he said, shaking his head. "The sword itself isn't dangerous. It's who wields it that determines its use as a force for good or evil. The sword has its place, but it has to be controlled."

"So you would control this." Yusuf's voice carried no judgment in it. He very rarely put down others and was always interested in moral debates. An Rui supposed it was because of the precarious moral position he was in as the potion's creator.

"I think it should be eliminated completely," Ai Ren said quietly. "I think it cannot be safely controlled. There is too much potential for abuse and corruption."

Tu walked over to the Songs and checked on them, then indicated that the others should leave. "Fire Lord Zuko has already summoned General Ko Bal back from the north. Feng Mu Rui and Bai Bao Tien are in Ba Sing Se, but should be here soon as well."

"And then?" Ai Ren asked, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Then they can defend against your accusations and that of the Songs."

***

The throne room appeared more forbidding than it had before, though there was no change in décor or personnel to account for it. Perhaps it was the formal dress of the Fire Lord and Lady and the advisors he retained and their blank expressions coupled with their intense gazes. Even the blind girl seemed to unerringly zoom in on speakers, no matter where in the room they were standing. An Rui found it unnerving. He could almost feel Ai Ren's fear like a tangible thing, even though the Songs, Tu and Yusuf were also with them.

General Ko Bal had a sour expression on his face, finding it distasteful to be summoned back to the capitol like a wayward child. Seeing the ragtag assortment of advisors didn't soften his demeanor at all, and he glowered at the children. It didn't matter to him that they were skilled and trusted by Fire Lord Zuko. He preferred to have adults on the dais. It would have been difficult to guess that he was in league with Feng Mu Rui and Bai Bao Tien to overthrow the Fire Lord, as he seemed indifferent to their presence beside him.

The chief courtier stepped forward. "General Ko Bal. Feng Mu Rui. Bai Bao Tien." He looked at each of the three men in turn. "Charges of treason have been laid against you before the Fire Lord. How do you answer the charges?"

They of course stated they were not guilty, but framed. "Let the coward that accuses me step forth," Ko Bal said, arrogance dripping in his tone. "I am loyal to the Fire Nation."

The courtier gestured for Ai Ren to step forward. As she recounted the meeting in the tundra that she had inadvertently witnessed, Ko Bal's expression never wavered. Feng Mu Rui stared at her in abject horror, and Bai Bao Tien looked on in stony silence. Song Du Man told his story next, his voice steady and even despite the obvious pain in his tale. While the trio of accused traitors seemed unmoved by Du Man's pain at Mai Liu's deterioration due to the dream walking, everyone else at court was drawn into the tale. Mai Liu herself spoke next of the horrible tortures that had been in her dreams, of how it seemed to continue even into her waking hours. She had walked about believing that her world was not real, consumed by pain and misery inflicted by the three accused traitors.

"These are stories," Ko Bal said dismissively when the court went silent. "There is no such thing as dream walking, Fire Lord."

"And the charge that you were looking for allies to overturn our current order?" Zuko asked, voice even and cold. "What of the charges that you were looking for my father's prison location? Do you say that those are just stories?"

"Of course they are, my Lord. I have always said that I am loyal to the Fire Nation."

Zuko leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing slightly. "Yes. But are you loyal to _me?"_

"But of course," Ko Bal replied smoothly, a faintly condescending smile on his lips. "You lead our fine nation, and you have proved worthy of the role."

"How do you define that role?" Zuko asked, leaning back in his throne. Ai Ren doubted that he was as relaxed as he looked, but Ko Bal seemed to feel that the suspicion was allayed. He started talking about the glory of the Fire Nation, the supremacy of its people over the backward citizens of other nations, that their role in the world was to show others the correct way to live and bring them all into line with progress. "So how did I earn it?" Zuko asked in a soft voice when Ko Bal's bombastic speech ended.

Ko Bal's smile was patronizing. "Everyone knows you bested your sister in agni kai. If you could render her helpless in single combat, you are the superior bender."

Zuko touched his chest in an almost unconscious gesture and the Water Tribe girl looked at him in concern. It took a moment for Ai Ren to recall that it was Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, one of the heroes of the Hundred Year War. Ai Ren hadn't been in the introductory healers' classes that Master Pakku had forced her to take, so she hadn't recognized her. The day before, Iroh had explained who all of the other teenagers at court were. They hadn't been at the capital in months, but had arrived just prior to their arrival at Zuko's request to determine how bad the threats to the world peace efforts were.

"Feng Mu Rui," Zuko said, straightening a little. "What is your answer to the charges?"

The older man tried to paste a smile on his face, but it looked sickly and false. "They are not true, of course. I have concerns after my business and leaving it to my son, but any good businessman would have such concerns. These have been here as long as I have had control of my company and are not indicating treasonous thoughts, esteemed Fire Lord." There was a faint tremor in his hands as he gestured, and there was an air of desperation about him. Ko Bal curled his lip in distaste at him, but Mu Rui didn't notice his expression. Bai Bao Tien still looked impassive, though a muscle n his jaw was starting to tic slightly. "The iron works and coal mines are profitable in your kingdom, Fire Lord. They are a considerable source of wealth for our people and for our family. I would never jeopardize the future of the business."

"What do you make?" Zuko asked, voice deceptively mild.

This seemed to settle Mu Rui's nerves a bit, and he went on at length about the things that his company made. The list was long, but included weapons and parts for the air ships and tanks that had been such an integral part of the war effort. Mu Rui elaborated on the high quality of his goods, that none of the equipment had ever misfired or gone faulty because of all the controls his factories had in place. He was proud of those efforts.

"Yes," Zuko finally interrupted with a trace of exasperation. "What have your factories produced following the end of the war?"

"My Lord?" Mu Rui asked, confused.

"The war ended months ago. What have your factories produced since then?" he asked, though the impatience was much more pronounced.

Mu Rui floundered and looked toward Bai Bao Tien. There was no support there; the man simply stared straight ahead with his jaws clenched tight. "Well, I suppose the factories have been converted to farming equipment or some such endeavor."

"You suppose?" Zuko asked, eyes narrowing to take in Mu Rui's mounting nervousness. "For a man so concerned with your factories and the health of your company, I don't think you'd leave any details like that out. So what are you producing now?" Mu Rui stuttered, but couldn't come up with a coherent answer. Zuko turned to Bao Tien. "Well? You are the manager for most of his larger factories. What do they produce?"

"Most esteemed Fire Lord," Bao Tien began.

"Cut that out _now,"_ Zuko snapped. All pretense at courtly manners were gone and he was on his feet, glaring at the three men. "I'm not stupid and I _do_ have honor despite my scar," he said, a clear sneer toward Ko Bal. "I am your Fire Lord and you _will_ follow my command and _answer my questions honestly."_

Bao Tien had a mutinous look on his face as the torches at the foot of the dais flared bright with Zuko's temper. "I am but a manager," he replied stiffly. "I follow the direction of my superiors. I do as I'm told."

Mu Rui looked at Bao Tien in disbelief. "You agreed with the direction we took!" the old man blurted, hands shaking. Ai Ren was starting to think that there were serious health problems at work, and not just nerves from exposure as a traitor. She started leaning in his direction without thinking, and An Rui tightened his grip on her hand to remind her to stand still.

Bao Tien suddenly looked as though he and Ko Bal could be brothers. They had similar expressions of disdain on their faces as they took in Mu Rui's loss of control. "How did you ever think you could teach your son proper etiquette and survival in the world if you can't do it on your own? The company prospered because you weren't the one directly leading it."

"So it was your idea?" Zuko demanded.

The majordomo suddenly realized how his words could be interpreted. "Feng Mu Rui is not one that can inspire confidence or loyalty in his workers. It's up to me to get the results that he expects from the factories, and I must meet his quotas by any means necessary."

Ko Bal shifted his direction away from the two businessmen; they were too busy trying to blame each other and didn't realize their words simply exposed their own complicity. He was startled to see Song Mai Liu pointing directly at him suddenly. "Did you change them? Did you twist their minds as you twisted mine?" she screeched. "Did you torture them for months until they gave in to your demands?"

Song Du Man put a hand on her arm. "Mai Liu," he began softly.

"They won't answer directly," she said to the assemblage on the dais, shaking off her husband's warning hand. "They've been trained to resist torture, haven't they? And anyone with the strength of their beliefs will say just about anything in order to get what they want. There is no honor in these men. There is nothing but their own greed, their own desires. They don't care about the chaos they leave behind in their wake..."

"Restrain your woman, Captain," Ko Bal boomed at Du Man. "She brings dishonor to your house. You should have known better than to bring that madwoman here. She was useless before and she is even more useless now."

Just as she would have responded, the fires flared bright and hot, nearly reaching the elaborately tiled ceiling. _"Silence!"_

The entire court fell into utter silence. Zuko looked behind him and gestured to Toph, the blind girl. Shrugging, she got to her feet and stomped over to Zuko's side. "They're all lying, the three of them. They know exactly what they've done and just don't want to be branded traitors."

The three of them erupted into shouts as the guards approached them on Zuko's signal. "This is an outrage!" Ko Bal shouted, glaring at Zuko. "I am a respected General. I commanded hundreds of men and brought victories to our glorious Nation. Fire Lord Ozai knew the value in my words and never would have let a dishonorable traitor to our nation distract us from the glory of our mission." He spat on the floor as the guards manhandled him to prevent him from bending. "You are not a worthy Fire Lord!"

Zuko had no visible response until all three men were shackled and held at spear point. "There will be a public trial," he said, voice tight with anger. "But that will only be for determining the severity of the final punishment, and for everyone in the Fire Nation to understand what happens to traitors." He turned to the courtier that had been hidden in the corner, taking notes on a parchment scroll. "Effective immediately, General Ko Bal is stripped of his title, rank and position within the army. All goods and services that once might have been awarded now revert back to the general treasury for the good of the nation."

Ignoring Ko Bal's snarling and threats, Zuko turned to Feng Mu Rui. "Effective immediately, all property, funds and holdings belonging to Feng Mu Rui are frozen and held in trust. If your son Feng Rui Bang proves to be a loyal citizen of the Fire Nation, he may receive his inheritance. If it turns out that he is also a traitor, all seized assets come under my direct control for the good of the nation." He looked at Bai Bao Tien's defiant expression. "And effective immediately, all property and funds belonging to Bai Bao Tien are to be seized and deposited into the general treasury for the good of the nation." Zuko paused to be sure that the scribe had taken down his orders. "The public trial will determine if you should be awarded death or hard labor for the crime of treason against the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation."

"Hard labor _is_ death!" Mu Rui shouted.

At Zuko's nod toward the honor guards, all three men were forcibly removed from the audience chamber. He returned to his throne and sat down. He looked toward the witnesses that had come forward. "Your honor and loyalty to the Fire Nation is hereby noted." Zuko paused. "I will allow requests for rewards you might wish to receive."

The Songs accepted a monetary award that would allow them to send their children to a more prestigious school in the capital. An Rui and Ai Ren looked at each other and whispered softly as the Songs made their request. Ai Ren elected to step forward on their behalf. "Fire Lord, we want some land near An Rui's home village, maybe enough to build a home and do some farming. And money. To build the house, I mean," Ai Ren said, stumbling over her words a little as Zuko simply stared at her. "Any farm will take time to produce anything for us to live on, and I don't have family to help us..."

"Your needs will be met," Zuko promised when she trailed off. He looked between the four of them. "Is that all you want?"

"I have what I want," Du Man said quietly, looking at Mai Liu. She smiled back at him, devotion clear. "We have what we need."

An Rui could tell that Zuko was glad their needs were modest. He tuned out the talk of a feast in their honor, as well as public thanks for unearthing the plot against him and the Nation. He was already trying to plan ahead for materials to build a home, how many rooms they might need, what sort of seeds might be best to survive droughts. A feast might satisfy the needs of the court at the capital, but he had to think about longer term survival for himself and Ai Ren. He was about to become head of the household, and that was his duty.

"And of course, we will have the wedding here," Zuko said, breaking into An Rui's thoughts. He simply stared at the Fire Lord, not quite comprehending what he just heard. "It will be part of the feast, and any guests of honor are welcome to attend."

Ai Ren was stunned as plans were made around her. An Rui pulled her aside when court was dismissed. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, hands sliding down her arms.

"Overwhelmed," she admitted.

"Me, too," he told her with a slight smile. "But we'll get through it together." He kissed her softly and held her tightly for a moment. "We'll be okay."

And for the first time since Ai Ren overheard the traitors on the tundra, they both believed it.

The End


End file.
